— ^ 

CHURCH 


OSEPH  ARMST 


THE  FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST  SCIENTIST 
gg'-         ERECTED  ANNO  DOMINI.  1894. 

dTMlWOHWLI.  TO  OUH  BELOVCQ  TE.ACMCR..THE  REVE«EW>  MAftV 

Ato«eRt»  »*•»  rounDCR  or  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE:  AUTHOD  at  in 

se'lENCE  ANOHEALTH  *ITH  KEY  TO  THE  SCRIPTURES.  Put 


THE   INSCRIPriON. 


THE 

MOTHER  CHURCH 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE  BUILDING  OF  THE 

ORIGINAL    EDIFICE    OF    THE    FIRST 

CHURCH  OF  CHRIST,  SCIENTIST, 

IN  BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS. 


BY 


JOSEPH  (ARMSTRONG. 


ELEVENTH  EDITION. 


BOSTON: 

THE  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  PUBLISHING  SOCIETY. 
1911. 


Copyright,  1897, 
By  JOSEPH  ARMSTRONG. 

Copyright,  1908,  1911, 
By  MARY  E.  ARMSTRONG. 


All  rights  reserved. 


UNIVERSITY  PRESS: 
JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.  S.  A. 


PREFACE. 


IK  this  brief  narrative  of  the  erection  of  the 
Mother  Church,  The  First  Church  of  Christ, 
Scientist,  in  Boston,  no  attempt  is  made  to  elab- 
orate the  subject,  or  to  treat  of  matters  that  may 
be  intimately  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
church  organization,  and  may  indirectly  concern  the 
structure,  but  which  do  not  bear  directly  on  the 
details  of  its  erection. 

The  writer's  aim  is  simply  to  state  the  facts 
as  he  knows  them,  and  but  little  effort  is  made 
to  point  out  the  many  beautiful  lessons  taught 
and  illustrated  by  these  experiences.  It  seems 
desirable  to  preserve  a  record  of  at  least  a  few 
of  the  trials,  toils,  and  triumphs  of  this  laborious 
effort,  not  only  for  the  benefit  of  this  age,  but  for  the 
generations  to  come,  which,  it  may  be  confidently 

iii 


IV  PREFACE. 

asserted,  will  be  able  to  see,  more  fully  than  we  now 
can,  the  meaning  of  this  demonstration,  and  to  realize 
that,  in  the  building  of  this  Church,  a  Christian 
endeavor  was  successful. 

The  Church  Directors,  who,  for  more  than  a  year 
were  burdened  with  the  heavy  care  and  responsibility 
of  erecting  the  edifice,  can  never  forget,  nor  cease 
to  thank  God  for  the  wise  guidance,  the  helpful 
words,  and  the  loving  care  of  our  Teacher  and  Mother, 
the  Rev.  Mary  Baker  Eddy.  She  alone,  God's 
chosen  and  anointed  one,  deserves  the  credit  of  this 
mighty  victory  for  Mind's  supremacy;  for  it  was  her 
warning  call  and  loving  counsel  that  led  on  to  success, 
in  the  face  of  such  seeming  odds.  Her  nearness  to 
the  great  Heart  of  Love  endowed  her  with  power 
from  on  high,  before  which  every  obstacle  vanished. 

The  writer  also  wishes  to  thank  the  dear  Mother  for 
the  privilege  of  publishing  in  this  book  a  facsimile 
of  two  of  her  beautiful  letters  to  the  Directors. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  the  future  will  also  give  credit 
to  those  friends  who,  like  obedient  children,  left  all 


PREFACE.  V 

at  the  Mother's  call,  and  came  to  relieve  the  heavily 
burdened  ones.  We  know  our  Heavenly  Father  will 
reward  them  in  due  season. 

To  those  whose  donations  have  paid  for  this  beau- 
tiful building,  standing  as  a  Testimonial  of  love  for 
her  through  whom  the  blessing  of  Christian  Science 
has  come,  the  writer  would  say:  Be  your  contribution 
counted  in, thousands  of  dollars,  or  in  single  pennies, 
your  reward  is  as  sure  as  your  existence. 

JOSEPH  ARMSTRONG. 


CONTENTS. 


LETTERS  FROM  MART  BAKER  EDDY  TO  JOSEPH  ARM- 
STRONG       iz 

THE  FOUNDATION, •       •     1 

THE  GREAT  CONTRACT, 10 

THE  IRON  QUESTION  AND  THE  CORNER-STONE,        *       .15 

CONTRACTS  AND  CONTRACTORS, 25 

HELP  AND  SHELTER, 37 

A  NIGHT'S  WORK, 44 

THE  HARMONY  OF  TRADES, 49 

TESTIMONIAL  WINDOWS  AND  OTHER  GIFTS,      •       .       .60 

MOTHER'S  KOOM, 73 

THE  FINAL  EFFORT, 83 

CONCLUSION, 97 

THE  FINANCIAL  QUESTION  IN  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE,  .       .  104 
THE  EXTENSION 109 

vii 


LETTERS  FROM 
MARY  BAKER  EDDY  TO  JOSEPH  ARMSTRONG. 

(Published  by  permission.) 

CONCORD,  N.  H., 

Give  this  (manuscript)  to  Miss to  make  it  perfectly 

grammatical.    I  have  not  the  time  to  read  it  all  and  it  needs 
careful  examination. 

It  (your  manuscript)  is  prosaic  in  description,  but  to 
builders  may  prove  interesting.  Your  detailed  account  is  won- 
derful because  of  many  things,  your  moral  well  drawn. 

M.  B.  EDDY. 

N.  B.  Uniformity  must  be  preserved  in  the  title  you 
mainly  give  to  me.  m 

You  may  insert  my  letters  that  you  have  chosen. 

M.B.  E. 

PLEASANT  VIEW, 

CONCORD,  N.  H.,  June  5,  1897. 
My  beloved  Student : 

I  thank  you  for  the  interesting,  finely  gotten-up  volume  — 
"  The  Mother  Church."  I  enclose  check  for  one  dozen,  in  cloth. 
I  want  them  to  give  away  to  people  that  the  book  will  interest. 
Again  thanking  you  more  than  all,  for  your  faithful  performance 
of  your  duties  to  which  you  alone  were  appointed  by  me  in 
building  The  Mother  Church. 

To  read  the  dear  book  is  with  feelings  of  an  old  soldier  to 
fight  anew  the  old  battles. 

With  love,  Mother, 

MARY  BAKER  EDDY. 

N.  B.  Please  fill  out  the  check.  I  leave  it  blank  for  you  to 
add  the  price  on  one  dozen  of  "  The  Mother  Church,"  in  cloth. 

iz 


THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 


THE  FOUNDATION. 

FOB  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid, 
which  is  Jesus  Christ.  —  /.  Corinthians  iii.  11. 

IN  September,  1893,  the  Kev.  Mary  Baker  Eddy, 
Discoverer   and   Founder   of   Christian   Science, 
advised  the  Directors  of  The  First  Church  of  Christ, 
Scientist,   in  Boston,   to  lay  the  foundation   for   a 
church-building  the  following  October. 

At  this  point  the  history  of  our  present  structure 
begins;  but  in  order  to  describe  accurately  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  at  the  time,  it  may  be  well  to  retrace 
briefly  certain  previous  steps. 

Our  Teacher  had  long  been  hoping  for  a  church- 
edifice  in  Boston,  and  for  several  years  her  students 
had  been  making  efforts  to  fulfil  her  hope.  In 
1887-8  about  four  thousand  dollars  were  contributed 

1 


2  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

towards  a  building-fund,  but  this  money  was  lost. 
A  site  was  bought;  but  as  the  students  could  give 
only  a  small  part  of  the  price,  the  remainder 
was  secured  by  a  mortgage.  This  they  were  unable 
to  pay  when  it  became  due,  and  the  lot  was  sold, 
under  foreclosure,  to  Mrs.  Eddy  herself.  She  im- 
mediately conveyed  it  to  Ira  O.  Knapp,  C.  S.  D., 
for  the  use  of  the  Church,  a  Board  of  Trustees  being 
appointed  to  care  for  it. 

The  sum  of  about  thirty  thousand  dollars  was  soon 
raised,  enough  to  warrant  those  trustees  in  beginning 
the  work;  but  they  were  unwilling  to  build,  unless 
the  Church,  which  had  been  disorganized  at  Mrs. 
Eddy's  request,  was  re-organized,  under  the  laws  of 
Massachusetts;  as,  without  such  incorporation,  they 
claimed  the  title  would  be  worthless. 

Mrs.  Eddy  then  took  the  lot  again  into  her  own 
possession,  and  deeded  it,  in  September,  1892,  to 
four  of  her  students,  thereby  constituting  them  the 
Christian  Science  Board  of  Directors.  This  Board 
was  to  hold  the  land  in  trust  for  the  whole  body  of 


THE    FOUNDATION.  3 

Christian  Scientists,  a  law  having  been  discovered 
which  permitted  property  to  be  held  in  this  way. 
The  new  deed  required  the  Directors  to  erect  a 
church-edifice  within  five  years,  at  a  cost  of  not 
less  than  fifty  thousand  dollars;  and  it  was  upon 
them,  Ira  O.  Knapp,  "William  B.  Johnson,  Joseph 
Armstrong,  and  Stephen  A.  Chase,  and  not  upon  the 
Church  as  a  body,  that  the  responsibility  of  erecting 
the  building  rested. 

The  money  received  by  the  first  Board  of  Trustees 
was  returned  to  the  donors;  and  while  this  transfer 
was  going  on,  and  the  money  was  flowing  back  again 
into  the  treasury,  the  newly  constituted  Board  of 
Directors  were  soliciting  designs  for  the  structure. 

Several  Boston  architects  drew  plans  for  a  brick 
building;  one  of  these  designs  being  more  satisfac- 
tory than  the  others,  because  utilizing  the  entire 
ground,  —  a  result  especially  desired.  On  later  con- 
sideration, it  seemed  more  appropriate  to  build  the 
Church  of  granite  from  New  Hampshire,  the  native 
state  and  present  home  of  the  Discoverer  and  Founder 


4  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

of  Christian  Science;  so  the  architects  again  made 
drawings,  this  time  for  a  stone  building.  The  archi- 
tect who  had  excelled  before  once  more  presented 
the  most  acceptable  plan,  which  not  only  covered 
the  whole  lot,  but  was  the  most  beautiful  in  design. 
This  lot  being  on  a  corner,  and  shaped  somewhat 
like  a  kite,  was  thought  to  be  awkwardly  formed  for 
a  church-site,  until  this  draft  was  seen,  when  it 
was  at  once  acknowledged  that  the  land  could  hardly 
be  better  adapted  to  our  purpose. 

This  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  the  Directors 
were  advised  to  lay  the  foundation.  Our  Teacher 
doubtless  perceived  the  need  of  immediate  action; 
for,  although  our  fund  now  amounted  to  about 
forty  thousand  dollars,  receipts  had  almost  ceased, 
the  students  either  thinking  that  enough  had  been 
already  raised,  or  else  fearing,  on  account  of  the 
former  experience,  that  the  money  might  be  lost,  or 
otherwise  fail  of  its  purpose. 

In  obtaining  estimates  from  builders,  the  Directors 
had  already  learned  that,  during  the  delay  occasioned 


THE    FOUNDATION.  5 

by  hesitation  over  the  land-title,  additional  laws  had 
been  enacted,  July  16,  1892,  requiring  such  buildings 
to  be  absolutely  fire-proof;  consequently,  that  to  build 
a  church  now  would  cost  a  third  more  than  before 
that  date. 

The  Directors  found  themselves  in  a  dilemma. 
On  one  side  was  the  urgent  need  of  beginning  to 
build;  while  on  the  other  hand  they  were  con- 
fronted by  lack  of  material  means.  If  they  decided 
to  use  brick,  the  new  laws  would  increase  the  cost 
by  many  thousands  of  dollars  more  than  had  been 
as  yet  contributed,  while  stone  would  be  even 
more  expensive.  According  to  city  ordinances,  plans 
must  be  municipally  approved  before  a  building-per- 
mit could  be  issued;  so  the  Directors  must  accept  a 
design  determining  the  cost  of  the  completed  build- 
ing, before  they  could  obtain  a  permit,  or  lay  the 
foundation. 

The  deed  of  gift  admitted  no  debt,  and  allowed 
no  lien  on  the  property.  More  money  would  doubt- 
less be  received  while  the  work  was  going  on; 


6  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

but  who  could  say  how  much?  With  less  than 
fifty  thousand  dollars  on  hand,  how  could  the 
Directors  incur  so  great  a  risk  as  to  accept  such 
expensive  plans,  in  order  to  obtain  a  permit 
from  the  city?  The  advice  from  the  Teacher  and 
Mother  to  lay  the  foundation  in  October  was,  how- 
ever, of  greater  importance  than  any  other  consid- 
eration; and  those  to  whom  the  responsibility  was 
entrusted  finally  decided  to  choose  the  most  desirable 
plan  and  go  forward,  —  leaving  the  result  with  God. 
This  decision  was  reached  the  last  of  September, 
and  then  the  permit  was  anxiously  desired,  so  that 
work  might  be  begun  on  the  foundation;  but  much 
was  yet  to  be  done.  The  architect  had  furnished 
only  the  outlines  of  the  roof,  and  it  was  found  that 
a  detailed  plan  of  the  iron  or  steel  frame-work  must 
be  presented  for  the  city  engineer's  inspection. 
To  obtain  the  needful  plan,  estimates  must  be 
solicited  for  this  part  of  the  building;  and,  an  esti- 
mate being  accepted,  the  contractor  would  make  his 
own  exact  drawings. 


THE    FOUNDATION.  7 

The  Directors  were  dissatisfied  with  the  estimates 
submitted;  but,  in  order  to  get  the  contractor's 
plan  and  the  permit,  they  were  compelled  to  make 
an  immediate  award  of  the  roof-contract.  The 
lowest  bid  was  accepted;  but  the  contractor,  for 
reasons  unnecessary  to  relate,  refused  to  keep  his 
agreement,  or  to  submit  specifications  to  the  city. 
After  delays  of  one  kind  and  another,  the  official 
agreed  to  waive  this  point  for  future  consideration; 
and  meanwhile,  late  in  October,  he  granted  the  build- 
ing-permit. 

In  this  experience  regarding  the  roof  may  be 
recognized  the  hand  of  divine  Love,  guiding  and 
protecting  those  who  trust  Him.  Human  law 
would  have  forced  the  Directors  to  obligate  them- 
selves for  an  expensive  roof,  before  any  provision 
had  been  made  for  the  foundation,  or  for  the  walls 
on  which  the  roof  was  to  rest. 

It  may  be  well  to  mention  here  what  was  rather 
unusual,  —  the  fact  that  the  Directors,  although 
still  retaining  the  services  of  the  architect,  had  be- 


8,  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

come  sole  owners  of  his  plans.  It  had  been  at  first 
arranged  that  he  should  receive  a  percentage  on  the 
cost  of  building,  one  half  payable  on  the  bestowal  of 
the  contract,  and  the  other  when  the  Church  was 
completed.  Before  any  contract  was  arranged,  the 
architect  desired  an  advance  payment;  and  the  re- 
sult was,  that  the  Directors  bought  his  plans  outright, 
obtaining  a  bill  of  sale. 

Such  details,  which  may  seem  insignificant,  had 
a  greater  influence  on  the  erection  of  the  Church 
than  may  appear  on  the  surface;  and  the  writer, 
knowing  their  latent  import,  could  not  feel  that  hia 
account  would  be  complete  if  they  were  not  noted. 

The  contracts  for  excavation,  pile-driving,  and 
stone  foundations  were  signed  on  October  19,  1893. 
Charles  River  once  overflowed  much  of  this  Back 
Bay  region  where  the  church-lot  is  situated;  and, 
so  near  the  harbor,  the  water  is  affected  by  even 
the  lowest  tides.  The  land  has  been  filled  in  to  the 
height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet  above  high-water  mark; 
and  foundation-piles  for  building  must  be  driven 


THE    FOUNDATION.  9 

down  far  enough  to  remain  permanently  under 
water,  so  as  to  be  unaffected  by  atmospheric  in- 
fluences. It  was  at  first,  thought  that  our  piling 
must  be  driven  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  below 
the  foundation  grade,  but  hard  ground  was  struck 
much  nearer  the  surface.  A  gentleman  familiar 
with  the  Back  Bay  before  the  land  was  filled  in, 
states  that  our  site  was  the  point  of  an  island  which 
was  not  always  submerged.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
solid  bottom  was  found  on  which  the  piles  could 
rest,  thus  ensuring  a  firm  foundation. 

The  first  stone  was  laid  Wednesday,  November  8, 
1893,  and  when  the  foundation  wall  was  finished,  it 
was  carefully  covered  with  boards,  for  protection 
during  the  winter. 

This  demonstration  of  an  actual  beginning  on 
the  Church  inspired  Christian  Science  workers  in 
the  field  with  such  confidence  and  energy,  that 
money  once  more  began  to  flow  into  the  Treasurer's 
hands. 


THE  GREAT  CONTRACT. 

THE  God  of  heaven,  lie  will  prosper  us ;  therefore  we  his 
servants  will  arise  and  build.  —  Nehemiah  ii.  20. 

I  WILL  direct  their  work  in  truth,  and  I  will  make  an  ever- 
lasting covenant  with  them.  —  Isaiah  Ixi.  8. 

AS  soon  as  arrangements  had  been  completed  for 
the  foundation,  Mrs.  Eddy  recommended  that 
preparations  be   made  for  beginning  work   on   the 
Church  itself  early  in  the  ensuing  spring,  and  that 
the  work  be  finished  in  the  same  year,  1894. 

Money  was  coming  in  all  the  time,  and  there 
might  be  thirty  thousand  dollars  left  after  the 
payments  were  made  for  the  foundation;  but  what 
was  this  with  which  to  contract  for  such  a  building  as 
was  desired?  The  Directors,  however,  were  begin- 
ning to  learn  that  all  things  are  possible  with  God, 
though  His  ways  are  not  man's  ways.  They  knew 
that  God  was  speaking  through  their  Teacher,  and 
would  voice  the  words  necessary  to  guide  them  in  the 

10 


THE   GREAT   CONTRACT.  11 

right  direction,  if  they  would  only  follow  willingly 
and  obediently.  With  scarcely  one  third  of  the 
needful  money  on  hand,  and  debt  forbidden,  it 
seemed  unreasonable  to  think  of  contracting  for  so 
costly  a  building;  but  the  voice  of  Truth  was  im- 
perative, and  something  must  be  done. 

After  careful  and  prayerful  consideration  of  the 
problem  many  days  and  nights,  the  Directors  de- 
cided that  they  might  begin  and  build  at  least  the 
walls. 

Several  of  the  best-known  builders  in  the  city  were 
asked  for  estimates;  but  many  of  them  refused, 
making  it  difficult  for  the  Directors  to  select  the  most 
reliable  parties  for  so  important  an  undertaking. 
Responsible  New  Hampshire  builders  were  found, 
however,  who  offered  to  erect  the  brick  and  stone 
walls,  with  the  necessary  iron  or  steel  beams,  for  a 
reasonable  amount;  yet  the  price  was  much  greater 
than  the  present  fund.  To  promise  a  dollar  beyond 
the  assets  would  be  a  forfeiture  of  the  land-title;  and 
the  Directors  had  already  made  it  a  rule  to  base  no 


12  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

calculations  on  pledges  or  promises  of  money,  but  to 
act  only  on  what  was  in  their  possession. 

Mrs.  Eddy  had  not  yet  been  informed  of  the 
situation,  nor  of  the  mental  struggle  it  was  causing 
the  Directors,  yet  a  letter  from  her  solved  the  whole 
problem.  She  suggested  that  a  contract  might  be 
made  for  the  walls,  which  would  include  a  provision 
giving  the  Directors  a  right  to  stop  the  work  at  any 
time  after  the  masonry  had  risen  above  the  level  of 
the  auditorium  floor;  that  is,  of  course,  if  parties 
could  be  found  who  would  enter  into  such  an 
unusual  arrangement.  It  seemed  wise  to  have  but 
one  contract  for  this  part  of  the  work. 

The  New  Hampshire  men  were  found  perfectly 
willing  to  enter  into  the  conditional  agreement,  and 
the  papers  were  signed,  December  6,  1893,  by  the 
four  Directors  on  one  side;  and  on  the  other  side 
by  three  men  representing  as  many  firms,  who  were 
not  only  to  build  the  walls,  but  to  furnish  brick, 
iron,  the  grey  and  the  pink  granite.  Thus  it 
reads : 


THE   GREAT  CONTRACT.  13 

The  party  of  the  second  part  [the  Directors]  to  have  the 
privilege  to  stop  the  work,  at  any  point  above  the  level  of 
the  audience-room  floor,  on  four  weeks'  notice;  and  the 
work  to  be  resumed  on  four  weeks'  notice,  providing  that 
not  over  one  year  shall  intervene  between  the  time  of  stop- 
ping and  starting  the  same ;  and,  if  not  stopped  by  the  party 
of  the  second  part,  said  contract  shall  be  finished  on  or 
before  August  first,  1894. 

The  document  further  stipulated  that  the  con- 
tractors have  until  September  to  finish  the  tower, 
from  a  point  ten  feet  above  the  walls  of  the  main 
building.  Eighty  percent,  of  the  work  actually 
completed  was  to  be  paid  for  at  the  end  of  each 
month;  and  the  remaining  twenty  percent,  when  the 
work  was  finally  completed  "  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  Directors."  This  last  clause  was  somewhat  out 
of  the  ordinary  form,  which  stipulates  for  the  ap- 
proval of  the  architect  alone. 

Before  a  single  layer  was  begun  on  the  walls, 
our  Teacher  and  Mother,  consulting  only  with  In- 
finite Mind,  quietly  wrote  to  certain  students,  offer- 
ing them  the  privilege  of  contributing  a  thousand 
dollars  each  to  the  building-fund.  In  response  to 


14:  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

this  offer  forty-four  thousand  dollars  were  added  to 
our  supply,  which,  together  with  what  had  been 
coming  in  as  usual,  assured  the  contractors  that  they 
could  go  on  with  the  work  to  completion. 


THE  IRON"  QUESTION  AND  THE  CORNER-STONE. 

EXCEPT  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  that 
build  it.  — Psalm  cxxvii.  1. 

UPON  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church ;  and  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  —  Matthew  xvi.  18. 

MARCH  began  with  excellent  weather  for  wall- 
building;  but,  to  the  Directors'  surprise,  the 
work  was  not  begun. 

A  visit  of  inquiry  to  Concord  and  Woodsville, 
!N".  H.,  where  the  contractors  resided,  brought  an 
assurance  that  all  was  right,  and  labor  should  begin 
at  once.  April  came,  however,  and  nothing  had 
been  accomplished;  not  even  the  necessary  municipal 
permit  had  been  obtained  for  the  use  of  the  street 
during  the  process  of  building. 

The  contractors  were  then  summoned  to  Boston, 
and  the  reason  of  the  delay  was  ascertained  to  be  a 

deadlock  between  the  builders  and  the  firm  from 

15 


16  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

which  they  expected  to  buy  the  iron  or  steel  beams. 
The  Directors  had  been  informed  that  the  metal  was 
bought  in  December,  and  they  never  dreamed  of 
trouble  in  this  direction.  Now  it  appeared  that  the 
proposed  purchase  had  never  been  completed,  be- 
cause of  a  difference  of  opinion  between  architect 
and  dealer,  as  to  the  amount  of  iron  called  for  by 
the  plans.  On  the  insistence  of  the  Directors,  an 
agreement  was  reached,  and  part  of  the  iron 
-promised  in  ten  days,  the  rest  to  follow  at  intervals 
sufficient  to  prevent  further  delay  in  building. 

Mrs.  Eddy  had  already  been  asking  when  the 
Directors  would  be  ready  to  lay  the  Corner-Stone ; 
but  they  were  unable  to  answer  the  question,  for  as 
yet  only  a  few  stones  had  been  delivered. 

One  of  the  contractors  remained  in  Boston  to  com- 
mence operations,  and  the  next  point  to  be  gained 
was  to  have  him  obtain  a  permit  from  the  city  for 
the  use  of  the  street  while  building.  The  fact  that 
he  did  not  live  in  the  State  made  the  matter  some- 
what troublesome,  for  he  must  give  bonds  to  provide 


IRON  QUESTION  AND   CORNER-STONE.  17 

for  any  possible  cases  of  accident,  and  must  have  a 
resident  bondsman.  This  was  adjusted  satisfactorily, 
the  permit  at  last  gained,  the  exact  lines  of  the 
building-lot  located  by  a  surveyor,  and  the  first  stone 
of  the  Church  wall  laid  April  24. 

The  first  supply  of  iron  from  Pennsylvania  did 
not  arrive  when  promised,  and  at  nearly  the  same 
time  the  Directors  were  advised  to  fix  upon  May  1, 
as  the  date  for  laying  the  Corner-Stone. 

According  to  the  design,  this  Stone  was  to  rest  in 
the  wall  over  an  arch  which  must  first  be  spanned 
by  four  heavy,  curved,  iron  beams.  How  were  these 
beams  to  be  obtained  in  time?  Two  plans  were 
proposed:  one,  that  a  Director  go  to  Pennsylvania, 
see  that  this  indispensable  part  of  the  iron  was  at 
once  shipped,  and  follow  it  to  its  destination;  the 
other,  that  the  curved  beams  be  bought  in  Boston, 
at  the  Directors'  own  expense.  Both  suggestions 
were  rejected:  because,  as  it  was  argued,  a  journey 
to  Pennsylvania  would  interfere  with  the  contracting 
manufacturers,  and  to  buy  the  iron  at  home  would 


18  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

be  to  pay  for  it  twice.  Our  Teacher  and  Mother 
was  consulted,  and  the  date  for  laying  the  Corner- 
Stone  was  postponed. 

The  pressure  to  go  forward  and  do  something  be- 
came more  imperative  every  day;  while,  at  the  same 
time,  everything  material  claimed  to  discourage  and 
hinder  the  Directors,  "  fears  within  and  foes  with- 
out." The  stronger  the  demand,  the  more  impossi- 
ble it  seemed  to  obtain  materials,  or  to  advance  the 
work. 

All  this  time,  during  the  month  of  May,  almost 
nothing  could  be  done,  because  no  iron  had  arrived. 
Upon  the  foundation  was  to  be  built  a  twenty-inch 
brick  wall,  faced  with  eight  inches  of  grey  granite. 
All  that  had  been  done  up  to  this  time,  all  that  could 
be  done  until  the  beams  were  in  place,  was  to  lay  the 
stone  face,  and  a  part  of  its  brick  backing,  leaving 
projecting  bricks  and  iron  bars  with  which  to  tie  the 
whole  together  when  the  rest  of  the  brick  could  be 
laid. 

Several   feet  of  this  incomplete   wall   had   been 


IRON   QUESTION  AND   CORNER-STONE.  19 

built,  when  further  counsel  from  our  Teacher  and 
Mother  designated  May  21,  1894,  as  the  day  for 
laying  the  Corner-Stone. 

To  make  sure  that  it  was  on  hand  when  needed,  the 
Directors  had  already  sent  for  this  Stone;  and  it  was 
now  in  the  little  wooden  shanty,  put  up  for  the  use 
of  the  contractors  as  an  office,  near  the  corner  itself. 
The  Stone  was  to  be  polished  and  engraved  at  the 
quarry;  and,  not  being  quite  ready  when  sent  for, 
was  finished  on  the  Church-grounds.  The  copper 
receptacle  for  memorial  books  and  papers  had  also 
been  provided,  so  that  everything  was  in  readiness, 
except  the  wall  where  the  Stone  must  be  laid. 

To  get  the  curved  iron  beams  from  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  contract,  for  May  21, 
proved  to  be  impossible,  and  it  seemed  unwise  to 
postpone  the  date  again;  so  the  beams  were  ordered 
from  a  Boston  firm,  who  promised,  as  the  best  they 
could  do,  that  the  iron  should  be  delivered  by 
May  20. 

Three  days  before  the  Stone  was  to  be  placed,  the 


20  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

Directors  met  at  the  Christian  Science  Publishing 
House,  then  on  Boylston  Street,  where  the  copper 
box  was  in  readiness,  and  the  following  articles, 
wrapped  separately  in  oil-silk,  were  put  within  it: 

THE  BIBLE,  in  finest  morocco  binding. 

SCIENCE  AND  HEALTH  WITH  KEY  TO  THE  SCRIPTURES,  by 
the  Rev.  Mary  Baker  G.  Eddy,  eighty-fourth  edition,  in  the 
Same  size  and  binding  as  the  copy  of  the  Bible. 
r  Also,  by  the  same  author:  — 

RETROSPECTION  AND  INTROSPECTION. 

UNITY  or  GOOD. 

No  AND  YES. 

RUDIMENT AL  DIVINE  SCIENCE. 

PEOPLE'S  IDEA  OF  GOD. 

CHRISTIAN  HEALING. 

HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  MIND-HEALING, 

DEFENCE  OF  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  (out  of  print,  a  copy 
being  furnished  by  a  student). 

Five  Numbers  of  the  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  SERIES. 

AN  ADDRESS,  in  manuscript,  written  for  the  Occasion. 

Beside  these :  — 

THE  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  JOURNAL,  June,  Vol.  VI.,  1894. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  QUARTERLY  BIBLE  LESSONS,  for 
April,  May,  and  June,  1894. 

THREE  CARDS:  the  first  containing  a  list  of  the  students 
who  contributed  one  thousand  dollars  each  to  the  building- 
fund;,  the  second,  a  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  same 
by  our  Teacher;  the  third,  a  list  of  the  Board  of  Director*, 
written  by  Mrs.  Eddy's  own  hand. 


IRON  QUESTION  AND   CORNER-STONE.  2t 

The  Directors  took  the  box  to  the  factory  which 
had  furnished  it,,  where  they  saw  it  hermetically 
sealed,  and  then  drove  with  it  to  the  Church-site.  It 
was  about  half-past  five  in  the  afternoon.  The  work- 
men were  just  leaving,  and  the  carriage  waited  down 
the  street,  till  all  but  the  superintendent  had  gone. 
Alone  the  Directors  entered  the  little  shanty  where 
the  Stone  lay,  and  put  the  sealed  box  in  its  resting- 
place.  A  copy  of  the  Mother's  Address  was  read 
(the  original  being  already  in  the  box),  the  iron  lid 
was  fitted  into  the  Stone  over  the  coffer,  and  the 
superintendent  called  in  to  cement  it  firmly  into 
place. 

It  had  already  been  decided  by  the  Directors  that 
the  Stone,  with  its  valuable  contents,  should  not  be 
out  of  their  sight,  or  that  of  some  trusty  individual, 
till  permanently  placed  in  the  wall.  Accordingly, 
two  young  men,  James  A.  Neal  and  Thomas  W. 
Hatten,  students  of  Rev.  Mary  Baker  Eddy,  had  been 
chosen  as  watchers;  and  they  remained  in  the  shanty 
three  stormy  nights,  while  one  of  the  Directors 


22  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

stayed  there  during  the  daytime.  So  this  precioua 
Stone  was  guarded  every  moment. 

These  busy  days  went  by,  but  still  no  iron  came 
from  Pennsylvania.  Students  were  blaming  those  in 
charge  for  all  delays,  but  suggested  no  remedy  for 
the  difficulties;  while  our  contractors  seemed  utterly 
helpless.  The  Directors  saw  they  must  take  the  iron- 
question  into  their  own  hands;  and,  accordingly,  on 
May  19,  they  sent  one  of  their  number  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  remain  until  the  iron,  at  least  for  the  first 
floor,  was  shipped,  and  then  to  trace  its  course  to 
Boston. 

On  his  arrival,  this  Director  found  that  nothing 
had  been  done  at  the  mill;  but  when  he  explained  to 
the  proprietors  what  was  wanted,  they  agreed  to  put 
all  their  forces  day  and  night  on  this  job,  and  finish  it 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

Monday  morning,  May  21,  three  of  the  Directors, 
the  fourth  being  in  Pennsylvania,  met  on  the 
grounds.  They  found  that  the  superintendent  of  the 
building  had  been  called  away  for  the  day,  a  most 


THE    CORNER-STONE. 


IRON   QUESTION  AND   CORNER-STONE.  23 

unusual  and  unexpected  thing,  leaving  only  a  fore- 
man in  charge,  who  had  but  little  idea  of  the  plan 
of  the  work.  It  was  declared  impossible  that  the 
wall  could  be  made  ready  that  day. 

The  Directors  were  obliged  to  take  charge  of  affairs 
themselves;  and,  calling  every  man  on  the  grounds 
to  one  point,  they  had  the  work  begun  of  preparing 
the  place  for  the  Corner-Stone.  The  long,  curved 
iron  beams  were  slowly  laid  over  the  piers,  —  a  dif- 
ficult process  because  of  the  weight  and  shape  of  the 
beams,  —  and  at  last  bolted  securely  together.  Then 
the  wall  was  begun,  and  was  almost  finished,  when 
it  was  discovered  that  the  stones,  fitted  and  shaped 
for  the  rounded  corner,  were  laid  too  far  on  one  side 
for  the  ground-plan ;  so  it  was  necessary  to  take  down 
the  masonry,  and  begin  again. 

Finally  all  was  ready;  the  Corner-Stone  was  put 
on  rollers  and  pushed  into  place  by  hand.  Then  the 
workmen  withdrew.  The  three  Directors  uncovered 
their  heads;  and,  laying  each  a  hand  on  the  Stone, 
they  prayed  silently,  and  repeated  the  Lord's  Prayer 
in  unison. 


24  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

So  the  simple  ceremony  was  performed  at  close  of 
day,  alone  with  God;  and,  as  the  Mother  had  quoted 
in  a  letter  on  this  subject,  "  His  voice  was  not  heard 
in  the  street."  The  sun,  which  had  been  behind  the 
clouds  for  three  days,  burst  forth  in  brightness,  just 
at  this  moment,  and  shone  upon  the  Corner-Stone. 


CONTRACTS  AND  CONTRACTORS. 

AND  they  gave  the  money,  being  told,  into  the  hands  of 
them  that  did  the  work,  ...  to  the  carpenters  and  builders, 
that  wrought  upon  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

II.  Sings  xii.  11. 

WE  are  troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  distressed ;  we  are 
perplexed,  but  not  in  despair.  — 11.  Corinthians  iv.  8. 

SOON  after  the  laying  of  the  Corner-Stone  the 
Director  returned  from  Pennsylvania,  with  a 
portion  of  the  iron-work  for  the  first  floor.  He  had 
been  absent  two  weeks;  and,  after  watching  the  manu- 
facturing process  day  and  night,  had  followed  the 
iron  from  point  to  point  on  its  journey,  tracing  its 
entire  course  to  the  last  change,  and  had  thus  pre- 
vented the  freight-car  from  being  side-tracked,  or 
otherwise  hindered.  The  arrival  of  this  iron  proved 
that  every  demonstration,  every  effort  to  be  obedi- 
ent, makes  the  next  step  possible. 

Larger    foundation-stones    had    been    used    than 
the    contract    required,    and    this    necessitated    the 

25 


26  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

floor-beams  being  made  correspondingly  shorter. 
The  alteration  was  noticed  in  time  for  the  architect 
to  make  a  new  drawing,  which  he  forwarded  to  the 
Boston  iron-contractor,  who,  in  turn,  sent  the  sketch 
to  the  Pennsylvania  mill,  but  without  instructions 
as  to  what  it  signified.  He  then  informed  our  ar- 
chitect that,  as  the  beams  were  already  rolled,  their 
recutting  would  cost  twenty-five  dollars.  The  state- 
ment was  incorrect,  for  the  iron-work  had  not  yet 
been  touched. 

A  month  later,  when  the  work  was  really  done, 
no  attention  was  paid  to  the  altered  measurements 
on  the  architect's  last  drawing;  consequently,  when 
the  beams  arrived,  they  were  found  to  be  too  long. 
This  caused  delay,  but  the  difficulty  was  overcome 
by  chipping  off  the  stone,  so  as  to  allow  the  beams 
more  space  in  the  wall. 

Meantime  the  Directors  were  being  troubled  by 
another  problem.  The  building-fund  was  still  in- 
sufficient to  guarantee  all  the  contracts  required  for 
different  parts  of  the  Church;  but  it  was  now  time 


BUILDING    THE    ROOK    STAGING. 


CONTRACTS  AND  CONTRACTORS.       27 

that  plans  should  be  settled  and  agreements  made 
for  the  entire  work.  From  this  time  to  the  end 
these  questions  were  constantly  to  be  considered: 
What  section  must  next  be  built,  in  order  to  protect 
and  strengthen  •  what  is  already  done?  What  work 
must  be  put  in  at  the  same  time  other  parts  are  being 
constructed?  What  contracts  would  require  the 
most  time  for  obtaining  necessary  materials?  Most 
urgent  of  all  was  this  question:  What  could  be  paid 
for? 

There  should  be  a  contract  for  the  roof,  in 
order  that  the  iron  frame  be  made  in  time,  and 
the  roofer  have  his  materials  ready  for  finishing  as 
soon  as  the  walls  were  up.  As  fast,  therefore,  as  the 
necessary  amount  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer, 
contracts  were  signed  to  meet  the  more  pressing 
demands,  the  Directors  now  making  each  individual 
agreement  themselves,  so  as  to  bring  matters  more 
under  their  immediate  care,  and  avoid  all  possible 
mistakes  or  delays. 

the  end  of  June  it  became  evident  that  the 


28  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

iron  columns  for  the  support  of  the  auditorium  and 
galleries  would  be  needed  very  soon,  and  the  builders 
were  so  notified.  This  iron,  like  the  floor-beams,  was 
included  in  the  original  "great  contract,"  and  had 
been  sublet  to  some  Massachusetts  manufacturers. 
After  much  urging,  several  columns  were  delivered; 
but,  upon  examination,  they  proved  to  be  altogether 
unfit  for  use.  The  company  insisted  that  they  were 
good,  and  refused  to  replace  them.  The  first  week 
in  July  the  columns  had  all  been  furnished;  and  the 
City  Inspector  of  Buildings,  who  examined  every 
part  of  the  work  as  it  progressed,  condemned  the 
entire  lot.  Nevertheless,  the  firm  still  claimed  that 
their  castings  should  be  accepted. 

It  was  the  middle  of  July.  There  was  no  prospect 
of  continuing  the  work  under  two  weeks;  and  if  the 
order  were  to  be  duplicated  from  the  same  mill,  the 
delay  might  be  indefinite.  Another  firm  was  found, 
who  agreed  to  furnish  this  iron  to  our  contractors 
in  two  weeks;  but  even  then,  when  the  columns  were 
delivered,  several  days  more  must  be  spent  in  setting 


CONTRACTS  AND  CONTRACTORS.       29 

them  up  and  laying  the  beams  upon  them;  so  that 
the  work  on  the  walls,  which  had  come  to  a  stand, 
could  be  resumed.  This,  at  the  best,  meant  nearly 
a  month  of  lost  time. 

During  the  delay  nothing,  practically,  was  done. 
All  the  workmen  left,  but  two  or  three  stone- 
layers  and  one  brick-layer.  The  iron  foundry  was 
prompt,  however;  and,  before  the  specified  time, 
enough  columns  were  ready  so  that  the  work  could 
begin  again. 

The  building  advanced  rapidly  for  a  time,  but  it 
was  not  long  before  progress  was  again  impeded. 
The  floor-beams  were  slow  in  coming,  and  many  were 
not  drilled  in  the  proper  places.  To  rectify  all  this 
was  slow  work;  and  so  the  weary  days  dragged  on 
through  August  and  September.  Once  more  the 
same  Director  was  sent  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  till  he  saw  all  the  iron  of  the  contract  man- 
ufactured and  shipped.  There  was,  therefore,  no 
more  hindrance  from  this  quarter,  except  for  the 
cutting  and  fitting  of  the  beams. 


30  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

The  discontent  of  the  masons  was  causing  great 
inconvenience.  It  is  customary  for  masons  to  be  paid 
weekly,  but  our  contractors  sometimes  neglected  to 
provide  the  money  as  often  as  once  in  two  weeks. 
When  the  men  threatened  to  quit  work,  the  builders 
would  have  let  them  go;  but,  in  order  to  prevent 
delays,  the  Directors  advanced  the  amount.  On 
one  occasion,  the  money  to  pay  the  men  was  col- 
lected from  the  Christian  Science  students  who 
happened  to  be  on  the  premises.  After  this  the 
Directors  reserved  a  sufficient  sum,  from  their 
monthly  settlement  with  the  contractors,  to  ensure 
the  wages  of  the  laborers. 

The  iron  frame  was  to  have  been  placed  on  the 
roof  between  August  20  and  September  10;  but  at 
this  period  the  walls  were  very  far  from  completion, 
nor  was  the  roofer  ready  with  his  iron.  The  rail- 
road strike  in  Chicago  had  cut  off  from  the  mills  their 
supply  of  coal,  so  that  the  metal  could  not  be 
moulded  when  promised. 

until  the  last  of  September  did  the  roof-iron 


CONTRACTS  AND  CONTRACTORS.       31 

begin  to  arrive.  It  was  hoped  the  frame  would  be 
set  up  in  a  few  days;  but  in  this,  as  in  so  many  other 
things,  there  was  disappointment.  The  contractor 
found  many  excuses  for  postponement;  and,  when  he 
finally  announced  himself  ready  to  begin,  two  weeks 
were  spent  in  erecting  scaffolds  and  derricks.  At 
last,  after  all  these  tedious  delays,  which  seemed  so 
unnecessary  to  the  Directors,  the  roof -work  was  fairly 
under  way;  and  the  contractor  was  urged  to  add  to 
his  force,  until  he  had  as  many  men  on  the  building 
as  could  be  profitably  employed. 

At  every  step  difficulties  multiplied;  and  affairs 
became  more  and  more  complicated,  till  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Church  within  the  time  specified, 
seemed  impossible.  The  struggle  grew  harder  and 
more  hopeless,  to  human  sense,  as  each  day  brought 
its  added  burden:  as  if  one  must  make  a  journey, 
upon  which  life  depended,  yet  could  find  no  train; 
then,  when  that  was  found  or  built,  no  engine;  then; 
no  coal,  no  track,  and  so  on,  with  impediments  mul- 
tiplying almost  beyond  imagination.  Nevertheless, 


32  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

the  Directors  knew  that  God  was  directing  our 
Teacher  and  Mother,  and  would  not  demand  the 
unachievable  of  so  faithful  a  servant.  This  knowl- 
edge and  faith  gave  them  strength  to  press  on;  and, 
as  the  Children  of  Israel  looked  to  Moses  to  lead 
them  safely  through  the  Wilderness,  so  they  had  con- 
fidence that  God  would,  through  our  Leader,  show 
the  way  out  of  this  apparently  desperate  condition. 

It  was  clear,  if  the  Church  was  to  be  completed  in 
1894,  the  final  contracts  for  the  interior  should  be 
made  at  once;  yet  no  liability  could  be  incurred  be- 
yond the  limits  of  the  money  on  hand,  which  was 
not  yet  sufficient  to  finish  the  structure.  Those  who 
knew  nothing  of  these  conditions,  insisted  that  all 
contracts  be  closed  at  once;  but  the  Directors,  striv- 
ing to  be  faithful  to  their  trust,  and  to  their  own 
highest  sense  of  right,  continued  to  follow  the  wise 
guidance  of  God's  chosen  one. 

All  this  time  the  author  had  hoped  for  some 
way  of  escape  from  what  seemed  such  an  impossi- 
bility as  to  finish  the  Church  within  the  appointed 


CONTRACTS  AND  CONTRACTORS.       33 

year;  but  after  a  visit  to  the  Mother,  and  a  brief 
conversation  about  the  building,  his  doubts  vanished 
forever.  Like  Elisha's  servant  when  his  eyes  were 
opened,  he  saw  that  "  They  that  be  with  us  are  more 
than  they  that  be  with  them "  (II.  Kings  vi. 
14— 17),  and  from  this  hour  he  knew  as  an  absolute 
certainty  that,  whatever  the  seeming,  the  work 
would  be  done! 

On  October  18  our  Teacher  requested  one  of  the 
Directors  to  take  especial  charge  of  the  work,  and 
give  it  all  his  time. 

For  a  month  past  three  workmen  had  been  engrav- 
ing an  Inscription  on  the  pink  granite  tablet,  built 
into  the  circular  wall  of  the  tower.  On  October  20 
the  work  was  completed,  and  the  boards  of  the 
staging  knocked  off,  so  the  words  could  be  seen. 
The  first  sight  of  this  Inscription  was  most  impres- 
sive, even  to  those  who  knew  how  it  was  to  read :  — 


34:  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

THE  FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST,  SCIENTIST. 

ERECTED  ANNO  DOMINI,  1894. 

A  TESTIMONIAL  TO  OUB  BELOVED  TEACHEB,  THE  REVEBEND 
MABY  BAKER  EDDY:  DISCOVEBER  AND  FOUNDEB  OF  CHBIS- 
TIAN  SCIENCE:  AUTHOB  OF  ITS  TEXT-BOOK,  SCIENCE  AND 
HEALTH  WITH  KEY  TO  THE  SCBIPTUBES  :  PBESIDENT  OF  THK 
MASSACHUSETTS  METAPHYSICAL  COLLEGE,  AND  THE  FIBST 
PASTOB  OF  THIS  DENOMINATION. 

During  this  month  a  contract  for  stained  glass  was 
concluded  with  the  firm  that  seemed  best  able  to 
bring  out  the  ideas  of  Christian  Science  in  this  direc- 
tion. One  of  the  contractors  had  spent  some  time 
in  Europe,  visiting  the  great  churches.  He  showed 
much  interest  in  developing  designs  for  interior 
decoration,  and  was  employed  by  the  Directors  to 
procure  samples  of  material  from  the  different  dealers, 
so  that  a  meeting  could  be  held  in  his  room,  and 
a  color-scheme  be  arranged  that  would  harmonize 
with  the  glass.  There  were  brought  together  samples 
of  carpets  and  cushions,  marble  for  dado,  baseboard, 
and  stairs,  beside  specimens  of  wood  already  ordered 
for  the  pews,  and  fresco-designs  for  which  estimates 


CONTRACTS  AND  CONTRACTORS.       35 

had  been  submitted.  The  tints  for  all  materials  were 
chosen  at  this  meeting. 

Less  easy  was  a  decision  about  the  flooring,  and 
for  some  time  it  seemed  impossible  to  decide  what 
should  be  used.  Mosaic  was  desired  for  floors  as  well 
as  dados;  but  this  was  not  only  more  costly  than 
wood,  but  required  more  time,  —  now  an  important 
consideration.  At  the  last  possible  moment  enough 
money  came  in  to  warrant  a  choice  of  the  preferred 
material.  The  contractor  would  not  promise  his 
work  in  less  than  two  months,  even  including  extra 
night  hours;  and  after  the  Directors  had  agreed  to 
his  estimates,  there  was  a  suspense  of  several  days, 
while  he  was  considering  whether,  after  all,  he  would 
undertake  the  job. 

As  the  time  grew  shorter,  more  and  more  questions 
pressed  for  settlement,  each  seeming  more  diffi- 
cult than  the  last.  Funds  were  still  insufficient,  and 
great  care  was  needed  for  the  wise  expendi- 
ture of  what  contributions  the  Treasurer  held. 

The  interior  of  the  building  showed  nothing  but 


36  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

rough  brick  walls,  bare  iron  floor-beams,  and  dreary 
piles  of  debris;  while  mechanics  and  builders  were 
declaring  that  it  would  require  six  months'  more 
work  to  make  the  place  ready  for  use. 

Under  this  pressure  the  Directors  struggled  on 
through  October  and  came  to  November,  while  every- 
thing seemed  to  be  saying:  "You  cannot  finish  the 
Church  in  1894!  " 

All  these  months  there  was  beautiful  weather, 
with  scarcely  any  rain,  —  a  remarkable  season. 
On  the  morning  of  November  6  our  Church,  unpro- 
tected by  roof,  floor,  or  window,  was  full  of  snow, 
—  the  earliest  snowstorm  that  had  fallen  in  the  city 
for  many  years.  From  this  time  on,  though  the  work 
never  ceased,  the  weather  was  frequently  something 
to  contend  against. 

Confronted  by  this  fearful  array  of  material  evi- 
dence, the  Directors  pushed  on  with  unfaltering  trust 
in  the  divine,  omnipresent  power  of  God. 


IN    NOVEMBER. 


HELP  AND  SHELTER. 

HE  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  the  most  High 
shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty.  I  will  say 
of  the  Lord,  He  is  my  refuge  and  my  fortress:  my  God;  in 
him  will  I  trust.  — Psalm  xci.  1,  2. 

THE  contract  for  heating  and  ventilating  ap- 
paratus was  given  to  Edward  P.  Bates,  C.  S.  D., 
of  Syracuse,  !N".  Y.,  who,  after  arranging  for  his 
own  work,  placed  his  whole  time  at  the  service  of 
the  Directors.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  from 
November  12,  till  the  building  was  entirely  finished, 
he  and  Mrs.  Bates  remained  there  constantly.  As 
Mr.  Bates  had  much  experience  in  building,  and  his 
wife  also  was  familiar  with  the  technicalities  of 
architectural  plans,  they  proved  invaluable  assistants, 
bringing  into  the  work  fresh  ideas,  as  well  as  new 
courage. 

As  one  result,  another  architect,  with  his  draughts- 
man,   was    employed    to    assist    in    improving    the 

37 


38  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

interior  designs,  the  former  leaving  his  office  in 
Hartford,  Conn.,  in  order  to  give  his  entire  attention 
to  our  Church. 

Beside  the  one  lady  who  was  already  giving  her 
time  to  the  work,  Mrs.  Caroline  W.  Frame,  C.  S.  B., 
of  New  York  City,  and  Mrs.  Emilie  B.  Hulin, 
C.  S.  B.,  of  Brooklyn,  were  called  to  Boston  to  assist 
our  progress.  They  devoted  themselves  to  selecting 
furniture  and  fittings  for  Mother's  Room;  and,  al- 
though all  questions  must  be  deferred  to  the  Di- 
rectors for  decision,  yet  their  taste  and  experience 
in  house-furnishing  was  of  great  value.  They  also 
looked  after  the  windows,  to  urge  the  work  forward, 
to  see  that  subjects  were  properly  brought  out,  and 
that  all  was  made  harmonious. 

The  original  plan  had  been  to  finish  the  audi- 
torium and  Mother's  Room  in  wood;  but  now  marble 
was  suggested,  and  the  arched  entrance  to  Mother's 
Room  was  designed.  It  was  also  decided  to  raise 
the  ceiling  of  the  auditorium  three  feet  and  omit 
the  plastered  beams  and  panels  at  first  designed. 


ALMOST    READY    FOR    THE    ROOF. 


HELP  AND   SHELTER.  39 

The  contract  for  roofing  included  terra-cotta, 
ready-roofing  of  paper,  slates,  and  copper  guttering. 
The  terra-cotta  work  had  been  sublet  to  the  same 
party  who  was  to  attend  to  the  fire-proofing  of  the 
floors;  and  the  foreman  for  all  this  business  was  a 
man  of  great  executive  ability,  who  took  much  in- 
terest in  the  building. 

As  soon  as  the  iron  roof-frame  was  in  place,  the 
roofer  was  daily  urged  to  employ  more  help,  in  or- 
der to  hasten  this  most  needed  part  of  the  building. 
He  began  with  only  two  or  three  men;  and  even  after 
a  week's  continued  urging,  only  a  few  more  had 
been  employed.  The  foreman  then  explained  that  he 
had  engaged  thirty  different  men  during  this  time; 
but  as  soon  as  they  agreed  to  go  on  the  roof,  they 
seemed  stricken  with  fear.  Some  would  go  up, 
only  to  come  immediately  down,  and  slip  away 
without  a  word;  while  others  would  not  even 
mount,  but  only  look  up  at  the  roof,  and  then 
walk  off.  When  the  Directors  learned  this  fact, 
the  difficulty  was  overcome,  and  in  two  days  all  the 
men  needed  were  at  work. 


4:0  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

While  the  terra-cotta  did  not  wholly  exclude 
rain,  still  it  made  quite  a  shelter;  and  it  was  there- 
fore a  surprise  to  find  that  the  roofers,  after  laying 
the  blocks  from  the  summit  down  to  within  five  feet 
of  the  gutter,  ceased  work,  leaving  this  space  un- 
covered all  around  the  building.  On  inquiry  it 
appeared  that  the  architect  had  been  persuaded  by 
the  roof-contractor  to  change  the  plans  for  the  gut- 
ters. This  would  require  an  extension  of  the  en- 
tire iron  frame  five  feet,  and  meant  several  weeks' 
delay.  The  new  arrangement  was  countermanded 
at  once,  and  the  contractor  ordered  to  begin 
again  on  the  original  plan,  which  he  himself  had 
approved  when  the  contract  was  made. 

Once  more  work  was  resumed,  but  again  ceased. 
The  contractor  claimed,  if  the  blocks  were  laid  to  the 
outer  edge  of  the  roof,  that  the  water  would  there* 
by  be  conducted  into  the  walls,  where  it  would 
freeze,  and  throw  them  down.  The  Directors 
were  unwilling  to  accept  this  excuse;  and  two  of 
them  went  at  once  to  the  office  of  the  roofing  com- 


HELP  AND   SHELTER.  41 

pany,  to  see  about  having  the  work  finished  according 
to  agreement 

The  company  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
reliable  in  Boston.  During  the  conversation  with 
the  members  present,  every  argument  and  excuse 
they  could  bring  forward,  —  in  regard  to  weather, 
for  example,  —  was  so  answered,  that  at  last  the 
senior  partner  had  to  admit  that  the  work  could 
continue  without  interruption,  and  even  prom- 
ised to  be  at  the  Church  himself  the  next  morning, 
to  see  that  operations  were  resumed.  There  were 
still  many  difficulties  to  overcome  before  the  roof 
was  finished,  but  nothing  else  caused  so  much  delay. 

The  Director  in  charge,  with  his  assistants,  now 
found  it  necessary  to  oversee  the  work  continually, 
and  remained  on  the  premises  all  day  and  a  part  of 
the  night.  By  the  middle  of  November  the  roof 
was  closed  in  with  •  terra-cotta,  and  window-open- 
ings were  covered  with  canvas.  The  interior  was 
heated  by  stoves  and  lighted  with  electricity,  so  that 
work  might  continue  until  midnight,  or  even  later. 


42  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

It  was  in  the  evening  that  most  of  the  fire-proofing 
was  laid  in  the  floors  and  concreted  over,  —  first 
in  the  auditorium,  and  then  in  the  vestry.  The 
only  risk  run  in  laying  these  floors  before  the  roof 
was  complete,  was  that  water  might  drip  through 
upon  them,  and  freeze;  but  this  never  occurred. 
These  hollow  terra-cotta  bricks,  about  ten  inches 
long  by  six  in  width  and  thickness,  are  not  only 
fire-proof,  but  are  very  light  and  strong.  The  blocks 
are  cemented  together  between  the  iron  beams  of  the 
floor-frame,  resting  on  its  flanged  edges;  and  in 
twenty-four  hours,  when  the  cement  has  set,  are 
solid,  and  capable  of  resisting  great  pressure. 

One  morning,  when,  after  a  long  struggle,  plenty 
of  men  were  at  last  on  hand  for  the  work  on  the 
floors,  one  of  the  masons  looked  up  and  exclaimed: 
"Well,  sir,  I  believe  you  11  get  it  done!"  He 
meant  that  the  Church  would  be  ready  for  use 
in  the  appointed  time.  This  was  in  a  dark  hour, 
when  even  those  from  whom  testimony  opposed 
to  the  senses  was  expected,  lacked  faith  to  voice  an 


THE    DARKEST    HOUR. 


HELP  AND   SHELTER.  43 

assurance  such  as  this.  Many  students,  visiting  the 
place,  would  look  blankly  at  the  bare  walls,  and  say: 
"  You  can't  get  it  done,  can  you? " 

Like  a  message  from  Heaven  came  the  following 
lines,  quoted  by  our  Teacher  and  Mother,  to  lighten 
these  heavy  days,  and  increase  our  confidence  in  her 
perpetual  elevation  above  the  clouds  of  sense. 

TO  THE   C.  S.  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS. 

Friday,  10  A.M.,  November  23,  1894. 
When  the  mists  have  risen  above  us, 

As  our  Father  knows  His  own, 
Face  to  face  with  those  who  love  us, 

We  shall  know  as  we  are  known. 
Love,  beyond  the  Orient  meadows, 

Floats  the  golden  fringe  of  day ; 
Heart  to  heart  we  bide  the  shadows, 

Till  the  mists  have  cleared  away. 

MOTHER, 


A  NIGHT'S  WORK. 

IN  the  daytime  also  he  led  them  with  a  cloud,  and  all  the 
night  with  a  light  of  fire.  —  Psalm  Ixxviii.  14. 

So  the  workmen  wrought,  and  the  work  was  perfected  by 
them,  and  they  set  the  house  of  God  in  his  state. 

II.  Chronicles  xxiv.  13. 

THE  ready-roofing  being  laid  over  the  terra-cotta, 
and  the  gutters  cemented  with  pitch,  the  roof 
was  practically  water-tight,  and  could  thus  stand  for 
months.  While  the  slate  and  copper  were  being  put 
on,  there  were  several  heavy  rains  and  some  snow; 
yet  this  caused  no  uneasiness,  as  the  work  on  the 
interior  could  continue  without  hindrance.  Neither 
was  the  finishing  of  the  exterior  delayed  by  the 
weather;  for,  through  all  the  wind  and  storm  of 
November  and  December,  the  work  advanced  stead- 
ily, although  sometimes  the  roofers  were  obliged  to 
shovel  off  the  snow  before  beginning  their  daily  task. 
As  soon  as  the  roof  would  keep  out  water,  and 

44 


A  NIGHT'S  WORK.  45 

the  walls  were  in  a  proper  condition,  it  was  ex- 
pected that  the  plasterer  would  set  his  men  to  work, 
without  waiting  for  other  parts  of  the  Church  to  be 
finished;  but  this  was  not  in  accord  with  his  ideas, 
for  "he  expected  to  have  the  building  exclusively  to 
himself  for  some  eight  weeks.  Valuable  time  was 
lost  over  this  point,  and  but  little  accomplished. 

Meantime  the  iron  frame  was  getting  into  place 
for  the  vaulted  ceiling.  As  fast  as  one  part  was 
prepared,  it  was  desirable  that  the  wire  lathing 
should  at  once  be  added,  in  order  to  make 
ready  for  plastering.  The  contractor  being  still 
reluctant  to  work  in  what  seemed  to  him  so  irreg- 
ular a  fashion,  here  was  more  delay;  but  at  length 
he  agreed  to  let  his  men  work  one  night,  with  extra 
wages  assured,  and  the  Directors  furnishing  light  and 
heat.  The  arrangement  was  that  as  many  men  as 
feasible  should  be  set  to  work  on  the  auditorium 
ceiling,  which  would  be  the  longest  job;  the  strips 
under  the  galleries  having  already  been  plastered  at 
intervals  when  other  mechanics  were  not  in  the 
way. 


46  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

The  night  selected  was  Saturday,  December  8, 
with  the  hope  that  the  work  would  be  finished  before 
morning,  and  the  plaster  dry  during  the  Sunday 
following.  Scaffolding  had  been  put  up  a  day  or 
two  before;  so,  when  the  plaster  was  provided,  there 
was  nothing  more  to  do  but  mix  it  with  water  and 
apply  to  walls  and  ceiling.  A  patent  preparation 
was  to  be  used,  which  dries  very  quickly,  is 
powdered  like  flour,  and  can  be  brought  into  a  build- 
ing in  bags,  and  piled  up  ready  for  use. 

On  Saturday  morning  the  contractor  agreed  to 
have  enough  material  on  hand  for  beginning  work  by 
five  in  the  afternoon;  but  about  three  o'clock,  when 
at  least  seventeen  tons  of  dry  plaster  were  expected, 
one  lone  team  drove  up  through  the  dismal  rain 
and  fog,  and  stopped  at  the  Church.  Upon  in- 
quiry it  was  learned  that  no  arrangement  had  been 
made  for  delivering  any  more  than  this  one  load,  of 
four  tons. 

Something  must  be  done  at  once,  or  all  this  labor 
and  planning,  to  save  a  few  hours'  time,  would  be 


A  NIGHT'S  WORK.  47 

lost.  The  Directors  sent  Immediately  to  the  tele- 
phone to  find  out  if  this  driver  could  not  be  allowed 
to  bring  another  load;  but  after  half  an  hour's 
waiting  for  a  clear  line,  word  came  that  the  team 
could  not  be  out  any  longer. 

Effort  was  then  made  to  communicate  with  the 
plaster  warehouse;  and  after  more  delay,  the  agent 
was  reached  just  as  he  was  locking  up  for  the  night. 
"You  must  be  insane!  "  was  his  first  reply,  through 
the  telephone,  to  a  request  that  sixteen  tons  more 
plaster  be  sent  at  once.  After  some  explanatory 
debate,  he  went  out  to  look  for  teams,  and  shortly 
returned  to  the  wire,  with  the  welcome  message 
that  three  teams  more  were  already  loaded,  and  a 
fourth  team  would  be  soon  on  the  road.  By  nine 
o'clock  all  the  bags  were  lying  on  the  Church  floor. 

Unless  the  plasterers  could  work  the  full  hours 
agreed  upon,  they  refused  to  do  anything;  but,  be- 
fore time  for  the  long  labor  to  begin,  it  was  known 
that  more  material  was  coming;  and,  at  five  o'clock, 
there  were  fifteen  men  mixing  the  plaster,  and 


48  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

some  fifteen  more  ready  to  put  it  on.  All  seemed 
inspired  with  energy  and  activity,  till  spectators, 
long  acquainted  with  such  work,  declared  they  had 
never  seen  plasterers  cover  space  so  rapidly  and  so 
well.  The  workmen  themselves  were  amazed  at 
what  was  accomplished.  The  Scientists  in  charge 
remained  to  encourage  and  cheer  every  effort,  and 
by  morning  two  coats  of  plaster  were  on  the  audi- 
torium. Thus  was  a  great  victory  won. 

Monday,  December  10,  the  finishing  touches  were 
put  on  the  ceiling;  and  Thursday  of  the  same  week 
the  painters  began  to  do  their  part. 


THE  HARMONT  OF  TRADES. 

SPEAKING  the  truth  in  love,  may  we  grow  up  into  him  in 
all  things,  which  is  the  head,  even  Christ:  From  whom  the 
whole  body  fitly  joined  together  and  compacted  by  that 
which  every  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  effectual  work- 
ing in  the  measure  of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the 
body,  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love. 

Ephesians  iv.  15,  16. 

FROM  the  middle  of  September  to  December 
first,  the  great  problem  to  be  solved  was,  How 
can  it  be  managed  so  that  mechanics  of  different 
trades  shall  work  together  simultaneously  on  the 
Church?  This  must  be  done,  if  the  building 
was  to  be  finished  in  1894;  yet  each  contractor 
in  turn  expected  and  demanded  to  have  the  place 
cleared  of  all  workmen  except  his  own.  When 
the  Directors  asked  any  one  contractor  to  go  to 
work  while  others  were  still  busy,  each  declared 
it  impossible.  This  caused  in  every  case  a  delay 
of  two  or  three  days.  Then  each  contractor  would 

49 


50  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

agree  to  make  the  trial;  while  the  Directors,  on  their 
part,  promised  to  see  that  no  other  contractor  in- 
terfered. 

The  staging  for  the  iron  roof-frame  was  erected, 
and  work  begun  on  the  roof,  before  the  walls  were 
finished.  Next,  the  plumbers,  who,  like  all  the 
other  contractors,  were  behind  with  their  work, 
began  operations;  and  a  few  boards  were  spread  on 
the  floor-beams  above,  to  protect  the  workmen  be- 
low from  the  pieces  of  iron,  bolts,  tools,  and  other 
materials,  constantly  falling  from  the  roof. 

As  soon  as  the  roof-frame  was  in  place,  men 
began  putting  on  the  terra-cotta  blocks  and  other 
roofing  materials,  at  the  same  time  the  terra-cotta 
slabs  and  concrete  were  being  laid  for  the  floors. 

When  a  part  of  the  floor-blocks  were  laid  and 
concreted  over,  the  mosaic  work  was  commenced; 
and,  while  these  various  undertakings  were  getting 
under  way,  the  iron  frame  for  the  ceiling  was  being 
put  up,  and  still  other  contractors  were  finding 
places  for  their  men. 


THE-  HARMONY  OP   TRADES.  51 

The  mosaic  was  laid  around  the  bottoms  of  the 
heavy  posts  that  upheld  the  staging  for  the  ceiling 
work.  As  fast  as  a  part  of  the  iron  was  in  place, 
this  staging  was  removed,  and  the  spaces  where  the 
posts  had  stood  were  filled  in  with  mosaic. 

Bits  of  mud  and  iron,  and  occasionally  a  tool, 
would  fall  from  the  hands  above,  but  nobody  below 
was  in  the  least  injured. 

The  only  accident  that  occurred  during  the  build- 
ing was  to  a  painter,  who  stepped  through  a  hole 
in  the  unfinished  vestry  floor,  and  sprained  his 
ankle.  A  Christian  Scientist  came  at  once  to  his 
aid,  and  relieved  him  of  pain.  His  contracting  em- 
ployer, however,  fearing  there  might  be  damages 
to  pay,  insisted  that  the  man  be  sent  to  the  rail- 
road station  in  a  cab,  and  return  to  his  home  in  the 
suburbs.  He  resided  about  ten  minutes'  walk  from 
the  station;  and  the  next  morning  he  was  able  to 
run  to  catch  his  train,  in  order  promptly  to  re- 
sume his  place. 

As  the  work  progressed  with  wonderful  rapidity, 


52  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

other  mechanics  began  their  labor,  side  by  side  with 
those  already  busy,  until,  by.  December  first,  every 
industry  having  aught  to  do  with  building  the 
Church  was  represented  there,  making  a  force  of  some 
two  hundred  men.  To  keep  them  moving  together 
harmoniously  meant  rapid  and  continuous  action 
by  those  in  charge.  !No  one  set  of  laborers  must 
be  allowed  to  fall  behind,  lest  this  disturb  some 
other  set,  and  bring  the  work  to  a  standstill; 
for  the  men  could  only  labor  together  in  proportion 
as  the  work  of  each  separate  trade  was  kept  out  of 
the  way  of  that  following. 

The  Director  in  charge,  who  had  full  authority  to 
decide  any  question,  must,  every  few  minutes,  visit 
all  parts  of  the  work  as  it  advanced;  because  the 
different  gangs  of  men  all  protested  at  working  in 
company,  and  were  only  held  together  by  the  Di- 
rectors' promise  that  one  trade  should  not  inter- 
fere with,  or  trespass  on  the  rights  of  another. 

Questions  were  continually  arising,  as  to  how  this 
or  that  should  be  done.  One  change  would  often 


THE   HARMONY   OF   TRADES.  53 

necessitate  another;  and,  in  connection  with  the 
question  of  how  something  should  be  done,  was 
always  the  underlying  question  of  expense. 

It  is  certainly  worthy  of  note,  as  showing  that  the 
power  of  Mind  was  really  building  our  Church,  that 
these  explications  of  mechanical  difficulties  —  often 
given  by  one  without  experience  in  this  particular 
branch  of  labor,  and  with  no  architectural  plan  at 
hand  for  consultation  —  were  always  accepted  by  the 
workmen,  and  proved  satisfactory. 

Although,  as  has  just  been  said,  the  matter  of  cost 
had  always  to  be  considered,  —  and  this  necessity 
continued  until  the  award  of  the  very  last  contract, 
—  yet  it  should  be  stated,  that  the  question  of  money 
scarcely  affected  the  building  of  the  Church.  Be- 
ginning with  October,  the  Treasurer  was  advised  to 
tell  no  one  what  funds  were  on  hand.  Even  the 
Directors  could  only  ask  him,  Can  such  or  such  a 
thing  be  afforded?  But,  as  often  happened,  while 
the  Directors  were  in  doubt  which  material  or 
design  to  choose,  enough  money  would  be  received, 


54:  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

during  the  time  of  deliberation,  to  render  the  price 
no  longer  a  prime  consideration,  and  leave  them 
free  to  adopt  the  most  appropriate  suggestion,  though 
sometimes  the  most  expensive.  The  last  month's 
contributions  were  very  generous;  but  the  Directors 
were  careful  of  expense  until  the  very  end. 

The  municipal  permit  for  using  the  streets  bound- 
ing the  Church-lot,  included  only  the  Falmouth 
Street  side.  The  way  on  the  north  side,  now  called 
Norway  Street^  had  not  then  been  accepted  by  the 
city,  but  it  was  lawful  for  the  contractors  to  use  one 
half  the  width  of  this  street  for  unloading,  mixing 
cement,  and  preparing  other  materials.  At  a  time 
when  loads  were  arriving  hourly,  and  every  foot  of 
space  was  needed,  Norway  Street  was  accepted  by  the 
city,  a  contract  was  made  for  a  sewer-pipe  to  be  laid, 
and  our  builders  were  ordered  to  move  their  effects 
immediately.  Much  of  our  work  had  therefore  to  be 
abandoned  for  a  few  days,  till  arrangements  could  be 
made  for  workmen  and  materials  in  the  narrow  limits 
of  Falmouth  Street. 


THE    UNTIMELY    SEWER. 


THE   HARMONY  OF   TRADES.  55 

The  laborers  who  had  been  busy  on  this  side 
thought  themselves  already  overcrowded,  and  when 
called  upon  to  share  their  space  with  the  workmen 
from  Norway  Street,  they  set  up  a  strong  protest; 
but  the  Director  in  charge,  knowing  that  in  Divine 
Mind  no  man  can  encroach  upon  his  neighbor, 
assured  the  men  they  need  fear  no  interference  or 
molestation.  Soon  all  found  places,  and  the  work 
went  on  as  smoothly  as  if  each  mechanic  had 
the  street  to  himself.  The  Director  thanked  God 
for  deliverance,  and  took  courage. 

To  give  some  idea  of  what  was  done  during  the 
month  of  December,  besides  the  superintendence  of 
the  work,  the  following  list  of  contracts  is  given, 
with  the  dates  when  they  were  signed: 

Decorations,  December  5. 

Vestry  chairs,  December  5. 

Marble,  December  6. 

Pulpit,  and  the  furniture  for  Mother's  Room, 
December  7. 

Electric  fixtures,  December  8. 


56  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

Marble  for  Mother's  Room,  December  12. 

Stereo-relief  work,  December  13. 

Sidewalk,  December  14. 

Bronze  torches  and  brackets,  December  18. 

Onyx  mantel  for  Mother's  Room,  December  20. 

From  the  first  of  December  to  the  morning  of 
January  6,  no  busier  place  than  our  Church  could 
have  been  found  in  Boston.  The  whole  structure, 
within  and  without,  was  alive  with  workmen.  Heav- 
ily loaded  teams  were  arriving  at  all  hours  during  the 
day,  and  far  into  the  night;  and  the  creak  of  wheels 
and  derricks  was  constantly  heard,  as  roofing 
materials,  brick,  and  stone  were  being  raised,  by  hand 
or  steam,  to  roof  and  tower.  Plaster,  paint, 
glass,  and  other  necessaries  for  interior  finish, 
were  being  carried  up  the  long  planks,  through 
the  Church  door;  and  to  all  these  indications  of 
activity,  were  added  the  calls  from  workmen  above, 
giving  orders  and  directions,  answered  by  those 
beneath. 

Inside   the   building,    from   boiler-room   to    audi- 


BUSY   DAYS. 


THE   HARMONY   OP   TRADES.  57 

toriura  ceiling,  a  still  more  active  scene  met  the 
eye,  if  that  were  possible.  Concrete  was  being 
mixed  and  spread  in  one  part,  mosaic  laid  in  an- 
other. The  painter  followed  close  after  the  plasterer. 
The  plumber,  the  electrician,  workmen  putting  in 
the  heating  and  ventilating  apparatus,  mingled 
with  the  others.  A  constant  stream  of  laborers 
clattered  up  and  down  the  unfinished  stairs,  carry- 
ing in  new  material,  or  taking  out  rubbish. 

Every  workman  seemed  to  feel  the  importance  of 
punctually  finishing  the  work.  Among  the  different 
contractors  and  their  gangs  of  employees  there  was 
never  a  word  of  dispute.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  re- 
markable how  carefully  each  artisan  recognized  the 
rights  of  every  other.  Side  by  side  with  artists  set- 
ting the  delicate  pieces  of  colored  glass  were  those 
chiselling  and  hammering  the  metal  casements  or 
the  iron  staircases.  The  beautiful  onyx  mantel  was 
put  up  in  the  Mother's  Room,  while  at  the  same  time 
rougher  work  was  being  done;  yet  nothing  was  in- 
jured, and  no  man  interfered  with  his  neighbor. 


58  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

About  the  middle  of  December,  the  auditorium 
was  filled  with  the  scaffolding  put  up  for  the  plas- 
terers; and,  on  every  stage  of  it,  men  were  busy 
plastering,  painting,  decorating,  fitting  in  the  sun- 
burst and  windows.  The  mosaic  floor  had  been  laid, 
but  was  covered  with  heavy  paper  and  boards,  to  pre- 
vent soiling  from  paint  and  plaster.  The  dado  was 
being  set,  with  marble  baseboard  and  cap.  Gallery 
posts  were  being  wire-lathed  and  plastered.  The 
stereo-relief  contractor  had  just  begun  his  work. 
Electric  fixtures  were  being  put  in,  doors  fitted  and 
hung,  and  terra-cotta  laid  in  the  gallery.  Every- 
body seemed  in  earnest,  anxious  to  accomplish  as 
much  as  possible.  The  buzzing  of  the  sawing- 
machine,  cutting  metal  for  window-frames,  the  clank 
of  steel  tools  upon  the  stairs,  the  pounding  of  wooden 
hammers  on  mosaic  floors,  —  these  were  the  sounds 
that  rose  above  the  general  hum  of  activity. 

Surely  it  can  be  said  that  no  other  building  was 
ever  erected  in  such  a  way.  When  Solomon  built 
his  Temple,  the  men  who  wrought  were  personally 


THE   HARMONY  OF   TRADES.  59 

interested  therein,  and  worldly  wealth  was  at  their 
service;  but,  in  our  Church,  all  things  material 
seemed  opposed  to  its  advancement. 

In  this  harmonious  working  of  the  trades,  and 
their  earnest  effort  to  finish  on  time,  was  recognized 
the  hand  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  turning  back  the 
armies  of  the  aliens,  bringing  to  naught  the  plans 
of  the  wicked,  and  revealing  Himself  as  Divine 
Principle,  governing  human  affairs.  It  was  a  new 
demonstration  of  the  oneness  of  Divine  Mind,  and 
the  universal  brotherhood  of  man;  of  the  nothingness 
of  material,  and  the  omnipotence  of  spiritual  law,  as 
taught  in  Christian  Science. 


TESTIMONIAL  WINDOWS  AND   OTHER  GIFTS. 

AND  I  will  make  thy  windows  of  agates,  and  thy  gates  of 
carbuncles,  and  all  thy  borders  of  pleasant  stones. 

Isaiah  liv.  12. 

LET  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to  him :  for  the 
marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made 
herself  ready.  —  Revelation  xix.  7. 

SOON"  after  the  work  on  the  building  was  fairly 
started,  different  societies  and  churches  in  our 
ranks,  as  well  as  individual  students,  began  asking 
for  the  privilege  of  paying  for  special  objects;  and 
this  was  granted,  but  on  condition  that  the  money 
for  such  purposes  be  turned  over  to  the  Treasurer 
of  the  building-fund,  and  the  gifts  be  subject  to 
whatever  changes  our  Teacher  and  Mother  or  the 
Directors  might  think  necessary. 

In  this  way  were  purchased  doors,  dado  for  stair- 
ways and  vestibules,  electric  fixtures,  mosaic  floors; 
marble  treads  for  the  vestibule  steps,  marble  window- 

60 


TESTIMONIAL  WINDOWS  AND   OTHER  GIFTS.    61 

sills,  cushions  and  platform;  the  pulpit  and  its 
furnishings,  with  handsome  copies  of  the  Bible  and 
Science  and  Health  with  Key  to  the  Scriptures;  the 
Mother's  chair,  to  be  kept  on  the  rostrum;  con- 
tribution-baskets, with  extension  handles  invented 
by  the  giver,  and  the  tubular  chime  of  fifteen  bells. 
The  concert-grand  Steinway  piano,  for  the  vestry,  was 
the  donation  of  one  young  lady;  but  the  chief  single 
benefaction,  costing  several  thousand  dollars,  was  the 
organ,  one  of  the  finest  in  Boston,  —  a  tribute  of 
gratitude  from  a  gentleman  whose  wife  had  been 
healed  through  Christian  Science. 

In  the  middle  of  November  a  student  came  from 
the  West  to  see  about  furnishing  the  Church  with 
bronze  doors,  but  the  expense  was  so  much  more 
than  he  expected,  that,  after  a  week's  investigation, 
the  project  was  abandoned,  and  the  money  given  for 
a  window  and  the  general  fund. 

A  well-lighted  auditorium  had  been  especially 
desired  by  the  Directors,  as  one  of  the  chief  char- 
acteristics of  the  Church;  but  as  it  became  evident 


02  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

that  the  painted  figures  and  colored  glass  would  admit 
only  a  dim  and  subdued  light,  some  further  means 
of  letting  in  the  sunshine  must  be  adopted.  Some 
one  suggested  that  light  be  let"  in  from  above, 
but  this  seemed  impracticable.  The  architect  was 
consulted,  as  well  as  others  who  might  have  ideas 
on  the  subject;  and  as  the  roof  had  not  yet  been  con- 
structed, the  plans  were  examined,  to  ascertain  where 
an  opening  could  be  made.  It  was  found  feasible, 
with  slight  additional  expense,  to  insert  a  skylight, 
measuring  ten  feet  by  twenty,  directly  above  the 
auditorium  ceiling. 

What  could  be  used  in  the  ceiling  itself  to  let 
through  the  light  thus  secured  from  the  roof  above  ? 
This  was  the  next  question;  for  such  an  adjunct 
must  not  only  be  ornamental  in  itself,  but  har- 
monize with  the  decorations  of  the  interior.  After 
many  plans  had  been  examined,  and  many  sug- 
gestions received  from  artists  and  students,  the 
beautiful  sunburst  now  in  use  was  selected,  with  its 
one  hundred  and  forty-four  electric  lamps  for  addi- 
tional illumination. 


TESTIMONIAL  WINDOWS  AND   OTHER   GIFTS.    63 

To  ensure  still  more  light,  and  forestall  any 
possible  darkening  of  our  windows  by  the  erection 
of  high  walls  on  adjacent  lots,  the  architect  planned 
three  light-shafts,  which,  though  necessarily  de- 
tracting from  the  size  of  the  auditorium,  really 
add  to  its  symmetry,  owing  to  the  peculiar  shape  of 
the  building.  One  shaft  extends  from  the  roof 
down  behind  the  organ,  to  light  the  pastor's  study 
and  the  vestry  below.  The  other  two  shafts  are 
directly  behind  the  two  windows  representing  Mary 
at  the  Resurrection  and  the  Woman  God-crowned, 
and  the  two  smaller  windows  above  them,  on  the 
gallery  level,  thus  brightening  the  pictured  glass, 
beside  diffusing  more  light  through  the  entire  room. 
It  was  truly  said,  there  had  been  brought  to 
the  Church  light  from  Heaven,  which  no  man  could 
take  away. 

Still  another  feature  adopted  to  secure  more  light 
as  well  as  more  beauty  was  that  of  bronze  window- 
frames.  The  Romanesque  style  of  architecture  in 
which  the  Church  is  built  gives  heavy  walls  and 


64  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

small  openings.  It  was  found  that  heavy  wooden 
casings  would  not  only  leave  the  windows  too  small 
for  the  best  delineation  of  subjects  in  stained  glass, 
but  would  also  darken  the  interior  somewhat.  An- 
other point  considered  was  the  liability  of  wooden 
frames  to  rapid  decay.  After  full  discussion,  it  was 
determined  that  all  window-casings  should  be  of 
bronze,  thus  enlarging  the  area  of  glass  in  each 
window  about  six  inches.  Not  knowing  of  any  other 
building  supplied  with  such  frames,  the  contractor 
made  original  designs  for  them. 

To  secure  uniformity  of  workmanship,  as  well  as 
harmony  in  color  and  style,  the  windows  were  all 
entrusted  to  the  same  Boston  manufacturers.  As 
the  ideas  of  the  designers  were  often  far  from  the 
true  interpretation  of  subjects  to  be  brought  out 
in  the  glazing,  the  presence  of  some  Christian  Sci- 
entist was  required,  who  could  be  relied  upon  to 
watch  the  work  daily.  It  was  necessary  to  have  a 
person  quick  to  catch  the  spiritual  meaning  of  the 
Scripture  to  be  illustrated,  or  of  the  subject  chosen 


TESTIMONIAL  WINDOWS  AND   OTHER   GIFTS.    65 

to  present  the  thought;  and  this  was  not  all,  for 
skilled  artisans  would  not  willingly  endure  dictation 
from  an  outsider,  and  wisdom  must  be  used,  or  the 
workmen  would  refuse  to  proceed.  The  Directors 
wished  to  express  in  the  designs  the  spiritual  thoughts 
taught  by  Christian  Science,  while  the  artists  at- 
tempted to  follow  traditional  religious  views  as  well 
as  preconceived  notions  of  art;  and  their  material 
beliefs,  inculcated  by  the  popular  theories  of  the  day, 
constantly  opposed  the  spiritual  idea.  One  artist 
said,  "  I  see  that  your  windows  mean  something !  " 
thus  recognizing  the  difference  between  ordinary 
requirements  and  those  now  demanded. 

A  number  of  window-subjects  were  chosen  by  our 
Teacher  and  Mother,  while  others  were  selected  by 
donors,  or  by  the  Directors.  The  first  one  given 
as  a  testimonial  was  the  rose-window  at  the  left  of 
the  platform,  representing  the  Raising  of  Jairus' 
Daughter,  which  was  partly  copied  from  a  plate  in 
one  of  the  early  editions  of  Science  and  Health. 
In  the  six  lower  sections,  palms  and  lamps  signify 
light,  intelligence,  and  victory. 


66  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

The  Directors'  rose-window,  on  the  right  side  of 
the  pulpit,  was  the  next  to  be  designed.  In  a  con- 
versation with  our  Teacher  and  Mother,  early  in  the 
summer,  she  spoke  of  the  four-sided  city  as  described 
by  Saint  John;  and,  as  there  were  four  Directors, 
this  suggested  to  them  the  idea  of  their  giving  the 
other  rose-window  to  the  Church,  and  using  the  New 
Jerusalem  as  a  theme.  After  careful  study  of  the 
subject,  in  connection  with  the  beautiful  spiritual  in- 
terpretation of  the  Holy  City,  "  coming  down  from 
God  out  of  Heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for 
her  husband,"  as  found  on  page  567  of  our  textbook, 
Science  and  Health  with  Key  to  the  Scriptures,  the 
figures  for  the  window  were  selected. 

The  definite  outlines  of  the  proposed  window  were 
not  taken  into  consideration  when  this  design  from 
the  Apocalypse  was  thought  out ;  and  the  window  had 
been  planned,  of  course,  without  regard  to  any  sub- 
ject. Now,  upon  examination  of  the  drawing,  the 
Directors  found  a  wonderful  harmony  between  their 
ideas  and  the  plan  of  the  window. 


TESTIMONIAL  WINDOWS  AND   OTHER  GIFTS.    67 

This  circular  window  was  divided  into  two  rows 
of  twelve  openings  each,  —  the  outer  panes  separating 
the  circle  into  segments;  while  each  inner  light  had 
the  shape  of  a  keystone,  or  sustaining  wedge  of  an 
arch,  sometimes  supposed  to  be  the  stone  designated 
by  the  Psalmist  as  "  the  headstone  of  the  corner." 
Twelve  was  a  most  significant  number  for  the  pur- 
pose; and,  dividing  the  segments  into  four  groups  of 
three  each,  there  was  one  cluster  to  represent  each 
side  of  the  celestial  city.  In  the  central  pane  of 
each  triplet  was  placed  the  main  symbol  of  the 
group,  with  explanatory  figures  in  the  two  panes 
flanking  it.  The  four  main  figures  were  the  Bible, 
or  Word  of  God;  the  Madonna  and  Child,  repre- 
senting Jesus;  the  Southern  Cross,  standing  for 
Christianity:  the  Golden  Shore  of  Love,  symbolizing 
Christian  Science.  In  the  twelve  lights  of  the  outer 
circle  were  as  many  stars,  also  arranged  in  four 
clusters  of  three  lights  each,  one  larger  star  and  two 
smaller  ones  for  each  division. 

The  rounded  central  light  was  the  proper  place  for 


68  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

an  open  Science  and  Health,  with  Key  to  the 
Scriptures;  and  this  suggested  the  name,  Window 
of  the  Open  Book,  signifying  that  the  radiance  from 
this  new  Revelation  shows  the  meaning  of  all  the 
Bible  promises  and  prophecies,  as  symbolized  by 
the  figures  surrounding  the  centre. 

The  architect's  plan  for  this  window  further 
included  six  long  lower  lights  which  would  come 
below  the  line  of  the  gallery.  The  six  water-pots, 
chosen  for  these  places,  typify  the  six  days  of  ma- 
terial creation,  included  in  the  belief  that  man  has 
a  material  origin  and  existence;  and  they  also  call 
to  memory  the  marriage  in  Cana,  with  its  spiritual 
lessons,  teaching  that,  as  mortals  empty  themselves 
of  error  through  the  understanding  of  Truth,  they 
are  being  prepared  for  union  with  divine  Principle, 
as  shown  in  Christian  Science. 

This  rose-window  has  been  symbolically  read  from 
top  to  bottom.  Reversing  this  order,  the  eye  rises 
from  the  water-pots,  representing  mortal  conscious- 
ness, to  rest  upon  the  cross;  then  on,  past  Science 


TESTIMOmAL   WINDOWS  AND   OTHER  GIFTS.    69 

and  Health,  to  the  topmost  ring  of  lights,  where  the 
woman  is  standing  upon  the  moon.  So  in  our  human 
experience:  "We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  ves- 
sels," as  stated  in  II.  Corinthians  iv.  7 ;  then  we  grad- 
ually rise,  by  way  of  the  cross,  till,  through  Christian 
Science,  man,  as  the  divine  idea  of  God,  is  fully 
realized. 

The  other  windows  are  here  mentioned  in  their 
order  of  presentation.  One  of  the  finest  in  the 
Church  is  a  double  window,  the  Resurrection  of 
Lazarus.  Its  rare  perspective,  made  more  striking 
by  the  stone  mullions  and  clasping  irons,  give  it  an 
appearance  of  being  outside  the  wall,  as  if  one  were 
gazing  upon  a  scene  of  light  and  color  beyond. 

The  designers  wished  to  omit  the  wolf  and  the 
lamb  from  the  Isaiah  window  in  the  vestibule,  think- 
ing that  so  many  figures  would  be  inartistic;  but 
when  the  spiritual  meaning  was  explained,  they 
saw  at  once  that  these  types  were  most  necessary. 

The  design  first  submitted  for  the  Apocalyptic 
Angel,  with  the  Little  Book,  represented  the  seraph 


70  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

as  standing  on  what  were  intended  for  pillars  of  fire, 
but  which  looked  like  red  bricks,  and  wearing  materi- 
ally feathered  wings,  —  which  useless  appendages 
the  artist  could  hardly  be  persuaded  to  eliminate. 

Saint  John  on  the  Island  of  Patmos,  a  double  win- 
dow, was  copied  from  an  old  Bible  illustration. 

Next  in  order  came  the  left  gallery  window, 
painted  with  the  Bible  and  Science  and  Health. 

The  four  windows  in  the  sides  of  the  auditorium, 
representing  subjects  proposed  by  our  Teacher  and 
Mother,  offer  much  food  for  thought.  The  picture 
of  the  Madonna  and  Jesus  shows  us  woman's  thought 
of  God  as  the  Father  of  all  mankind,  although  ex- 
pressed as  yet  in  a  feeble  way.  The  next  window 
portrays  woman  anointing  Jesus  as  her  ideal  man, 
who  now  expresses  her  thought  of  God's  Fatherhood 
in  a  still  higher  degree.  Mary  at  the  Resurrection 
signifies  that  woman  is  first  to  perceive  the  risen  man, 
—  that  is,  to  recognize  man  as  above  and  beyond 
what  is  called  death  and  materiality.  She  has  now 
faintly  seen  that  man  is  spiritual,  and  to  her  Jesus 


TESTIMONIAL  WINDOWS  AND  OTHER  GIFTS.    71 

says :  "  I  have  not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father  and 
your  Father,"  thus  indicating  the  Master's  recogni- 
tion of  her  thought. 

In  a  smaller  window,  above  the  Magdalene,  is  de- 
picted an  open  Bible,  whose  record  closes,  as  we 
know,  with  the  prophecy  of  a  God-crowned  woman. 
This  woman  is  the  subject  of  the  fourth  window  of 
the  series,  and  above  it,  in  a  small  separate  window 
corresponding  to  the  one  where  the  Bible  is  painted, 
is  another  open  volume,  Science  and  Health  with 
Key  to  the  Scriptures,  our  textbook. 

The  woman  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  the  teachings 
of  Christian  Science  in  the  book,  together  signify 
that  the  perfect  idea  of  God  and  the  spiritual 
universe  are  revealed;  and  Christian  Science,  when 
understood,  also  reveals  that  the  prophecy  of  Saint 
John  is  fulfilled,  and  the  spiritual  idea  is  the  God- 
crowned  woman.  In  these  windows  the  Bible  and 
Science  and  Health  are  shown  to  be  our  true  pastor 
and  preacher,  explaining  the  way  of  salvation  to  all 
mortals. 


72  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

There  is  a  peculiar  circumstance  connected  with 
the  arrangement  of  these  windows.  To  place  them 
in  their  present  order,  so  that  their  story  might  be 
read  from  left  to  right,  it  was  found  that  the  infant 
Jesus  had  the  best  light;  the  Anointing  of  Jesus  came 
in  almost  as  good  a  place;  the  Resurrection  window 
was  rather  dark;  while  the  Woman  of  Prophecy, 
representing  the  highest  revelation  of  all,  had  less 
light  than  any  other  window  in  the  Church.  Thus 
we  may  see  that  while  the  human  Jesus  is  recognized 
as  the  Son  of  God  by  many,  the  risen  Christ,  or 
the  God-crowned  ideal,  is  as  yet  but  faintly  seen. 


MOTHER'S  ROOM. 

JERUSALEM  which  is  above  is  free,  which  is  the  mother  of 
us  all.  —  Galatians  iv.  26. 

HER  children  arise  up,  and  call  her  blessed ;  .  .  .  let  her 
own  works  praise  her  in  the  gates.  —  Proverbs  xxxi.  28,  31. 

I!N"  the  earliest  Church  plans  was  included  an 
apartment  for  the  sole  use  of  our  beloved  Teacher 
and  Leader,  Mrs.  Eddy,  to  be  known  as  Mother's 
Room;  and  soon  after  the  building-lot  was  deeded 
by  her  to  the  first  Board  of  Trustees,  the  Christian 
Science  children  were  organized  into  a  band  of  Busy 
Bees,  their  special  aim  being  the  collection  of  money 
for  this  room.  Chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  its 
organizer,  Miss  Maurine  R.  Campbell,  five  thousand 
dollars  were  raised  by  this  "  sweet  society." 

In  the  early  months  it  seemed  as  if  this  apartment 
must  be  finished  and  furnished  very  simply,  as  the 
Bees  had  gathered  only  a  few  hundred  dollars;  but 

November    brought    a    different    outlook.      It    was 

73 


74:  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

decided  to  appropriate  the  adjoining  alcoves  on  either 
side  for  toilet-rooms,  and  one  beautiful  idea  followed 
after  another,  like  the  feet  of  messengers  bringing 
"  good  tidings,  to  Zion."  Very  elaborate  decorative 
designs  were  proposed;  but  Mrs.  Eddy  desired  that 
her  room  be  adorned  more  simply  and  less  expen- 
sively, though  willing  that  its  finishing  should  cor- 
respond with  the  rest  of  the  building.  The  result 
could  hardly  be  more  harmonious  or  appropriate. 

The  room  is  located  on  the  auditorium  stage  of 
the  tower,  and  opens  directly  into  the  vestibule. 
The  entrance  as  originally  planned  did  not  satisfy 
the  Directors,  and  after  several  consultations,  the 
architect  was  requested  to  design  a  marble  archway 
more  in  harmony  with  Mother's  Room.  Early  in 
December  a  plan  was  approved,  and  the  marble, 
which  was  to  be  of  the  finest  Italian,  worked  with 
great  care,  was  ordered  with  the  other  marble. 

In  preparation,  the  opening  for  the  doorway  was 
widened  on  either  side,  and  the  wall  above  cut  out 
to  the  ceiling  of  the  main  vestibule,  so  when  the  arch 


MOTHER'S  ROOM.  75 

• 

arrived,  the  workmen  began  to  set  it  immediately. 
The  parties  who  took  the  contract  for  this  work  were 
very  competent  and  had  command  of  the  best 
facilities.  On  a  Friday,  at  six  in  the  afternoon, 
the  upright  sections  of  the  arch  were  in  place  to 
the  finely  carved  cornice. 

To  complete  the  task  before  Sunday  seemed  an 
impossibility,  yet  this  was  what  those  in  charge  had 
resolved  upon.  The  workmen  were  asked  how  long 
it  would  take,  and  the  reply  was,  "  It  is  six  days' 
work  to  set  and  finish  the  arch  ready  to  fill  in  around 
it." 

Arrangements  were  made  with  them  to  labor  on 
continuously  till  the  job  was  ended.  The  Scien- 
tists remained  in  the  building  that  night  to  render 
all  the  assistance  possible,  and  a  midnight  meal  was 
furnished  the  workmen.  At  six  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  in  exactly  twelve  hours  instead  of  six 
days,  the  arch  was  completed,  and  in  an  hour  or  two 
more  the  mason  had  filled  in  the  wall  around  it  with 
brick. 


76  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

Two  coats  of  plaster  were  then  applied  immedi- 
ately to  the  newly  set  brickwork,  and  the  painter 
followed  with  two  coats  of  paint,  matching  perfectly 
the  vestibule  walls,  which  had  been  painted  several 
days  previously.  This  work  was  all  done  by  six 
o'clock  Saturday  afternoon. 

The  archway  leads  by  five  marble  steps  into  a  small 
lobby,  brightened  by  electric  lamps,  artistically  hid- 
den behind  the  high  cornice.  The  light  illuminates 
the  vaulted  ceiling,  and  reflects  a  soft  color,  from  the 
rose-tinted  walls,  upon  the  white  door,  with  its 
golden  knob.  Above  the  door,  in  letters  of  gold  on 
a  white  marble  tablet,  is  the  word  LOVE.  Near  the 
ceiling  on  each  side,  are  three  small  stained-glass  case- 
ments, admitting  enough  light  from  two  outside  win- 
dows, in  the  two  dressing-rooms,  to  bring  out  the 
glazed  colors,  and  enhance  the  general  effect.  Inlaid 
with  different-colored  stones,  in  the  mosaic  landing 
before  the  door,  may  be  read: 

MOTHER'S  ROOM, 
THE  CHILDREN'S  OFFERING. 


pleasant  View, 

CONCORD,  N.  H 


,, 

.  //, 


X 


MOTHER'S  ROOM.  77 

The  thoughts  leading  to  these  arrangements  came 
one  by  one  to  the  individual  Scientists  overseeing 
the  work,  and  seemed  like  inspirations  from  Love. 
Mrs.  Eddy  herself  gave  many  helpful  suggestions 
relative  to  all  parts  of  the  work,  especially  to 
decorations. 

The  following  letter  shows  the  source  of  two 
beautiful  features  connected  with  the  entrance  just 

described : 

PLEASANT  VIEW, 
CONCORD,  N.H.,  Dec.  11,  1894. 
CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  DIRECTORS, 

MY  BELOVED  STUDENTS, 

Permit  me  to  make  this  request  relative  to  the 
Mother's  Room,  and  if  you  think  best,  grant  it.  On 
the  marble  floor  at  the  entrance  engrave  the  word, 
Mother;  and  on  the  arch  above  the  word,  Love. 

Ever  affectionately  yours, 

MARY  BAKER  EDDY. 

The  apartment  itself  is  fifteen  feet  in  width  and 
eighteen  in  length,  measuring  from  the  door  to  the 
middle  of  the  bay.  Here  the  first  section  of  terra- 
cotta flooring  was  laid.  The  room  was  plastered  and 


78  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

painted  before  the  tower  was  roofed;  but  it  was 
protected  from  the  weather  by  the  bell-deck,  which 
had  been  covered  with  terra-cotta,  cement,  and 
ready-roofing. 

The  baseboard,  both  for  the  main  room  and  the 
adjacent  dressing-room,  is  of  pure  white  Italian  mar- 
ble without  dark  veining.  In  the  toilet-room  Afri- 
can marble,  of  Numidian  red,  is  used  alike  for  basin 
and  baseboard,  and  the  water-pipes  are  gold-plated. 

The  subjects  for  the  three  testimonial  windows 
are  taken  from  Christ  and  Christmas,  an  illustrated 
poem  by  Mrs.  Eddy.  The  Star  of  Bethlehem  sym- 
bolizes the  ray  of  Truth  penetrating  the  darkness  of 
mortal  mind.  "  The  light  shineth  in  darkness  and 
the  darkness  comprehendeth  it  not;"  nevertheless 
it  shines  on,  because  it  is  from  that  divine  source 
declared  by  Saint  John  to  be  the  Life  of  men. 

Suffer  Little  Children  to  Come  unto  Me  represents 
the  unbiased  and  innocent  child-thought,  finding  and 
appropriating  the  revelation  of  Science  and  Health 
with  Key  to  the  Scriptures,  which  explains  the  words 
and  works  of  Jesus,  the  prophets,  and  *he  apostles. 


MOTHER'S  ROOM.  79 

The  face  of  the  woman  in  the  central  window, 
Seeking  and  Finding,  is  not  a  portrait  of  our  Teacher 
and  Mother,  but  is  a  type  which  presents  the  thought 
of  her  searching  the  Scripture  with  unalterable 
trust  in  the  divine  Wisdom,  above  and  beyond  mor- 
tal concept.  In  this  sacred  search  the  Star  of  Beth- 
lehem, or  gleam  of  Truth,  is  never  lost  sight  of, 
but  shines  steadily  on  the  inspired  page. 

The  last  contract  awarded  was  for  the  beautiful 
mantelpiece,  constructed  of  onyx  blocks  from  Pueblo, 
Mexico,  on  exhibition  at  the  World's  Fair,  Chicago,  in 
1893.  Onyx  of  this  opalescent  green  tint  is  said  to 
be  an  object  of  worship  with  the  Mexican  Indians. 
Though  this  contract  dated  from  only  five  days  be- 
fore Christmas,  the  mantel  was  in  its  place  by  New 
Year's. 

Among  the  furnishings  were  many  individual 
gifts.  The  rug  before  the  fireplace,  presented  by 
a  lady  in  the  name  of  a  child,  was  made  by  the 
Esquimaux  from  a  hundred  eider-duck  skins.  It  was 
bought  from  Dr.  Cook,  the  Arctic  explorer,  as  tb* 
following  letter  explains: 


80  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

15  Hart  Street, 

BROOKLYN,  N.Y.,  December  18,  1894. 
I  send  you  to-day  the  Eskimo  blankets  as  selected. 
I  hope  that  they  will  prove  of  interest  and  value  to 
you,  —  a    souvenir    from    "  Greenland's   icy   moun- 
tains." Yours  very  truly, 

F.  A.  COOK,  M.  D. 

Other  remembrances  were  an  elaborately  carved 
imported  chair;  the  onyx  table;  the  large  china  lamp 
and  shade;  the  desk-lamp  shade;  an  Assyrian  bridal 
veil;  the  jardiniere  and  cloisonne  clock;  two  water- 
colors,  by  an  English  artist;  valuable  vases,  book- 
marks, and  embroideries;  the  sofa-pillow,  covered 
with  white  and  gold  tapestry,  matching  the  other  fur- 
niture ;  the  Athenian  hanging  lamp,  two  centuries  old. 
Silvery  green  plush  draperies  and  antique  Persian 
rugs  of  similar  tint  harmonize  with  the  delicate  fres- 
coing of  the  walls.  The  little  onyx  beehive  contains 
the  names  of  twenty-eight  hundred  Busy  Bees. 
Everything  was  provided  for  the  beloved  Mother's 
actual  occupancy,  as  witness  such  tokens  as  a  hand- 
kerchief, a  tiny  pin-cushion,  dressing-gown,  slippers, 
and  every  needful  toilet-article. 


MOTHER'S  ROOM.  81 

Loving  touches  still  continue  to  be  added  to  this 
room,  and  ever  will  be,  as  long  as  hearts  turn  in  grati- 
tude to  the  one  who  gives  her  life  for  them  and  the 
world. 

The  most  recent  addition  is  a  gift  from  Mrs.  Eddy 
herself  to  the  Church,  —  a  large  oil-painting,  meas- 
uring six  feet  by  five,  of  the  little  rocking-chair, 
covered  with  black  hair-cloth,  in  which  she  sat  while 
writing  Science  and  Health.  It  would  seem  impos- 
sible for  such  a  room  as  this  to  afford  space  for  so 
large  a  picture;  but  the  arrangement  is  so  skilful  as 
to  increase  the  beauty  of  both.  The  picture  rests 
on  the  floor,  and  is  lighted  by  electric  lamps,  fastened 
on  the  upper  edge  of  the  frame,  and  concealed  by 
green  draperies.  The  effect  of  the  painting,  so 
placed,  is  to  enlarge  as  well  as  enrich  the  room; 
for  it  is  so  realistic  that,  looking  at  it,  one  seems  to 
be  gazing  into  another  apartment. 

On  a  bookmark,  given  by  two  little  girls,  are 
printed  some  lines  from  Whittier,  which  express  the 
thought  of  many  who  enter  this  room. 


82  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

And  so  I  find  it  well  to  come, 
For  deeper  rest,  to  this  still  room ; 
For  here  the  habit  of  the  soul 
Feels  less  the  outer  world's  control; 
•        •••••••• 

And  from  the  silence,  multiplied 
By  these  still  forms  on  every  side, 
The  world  that  time  and  sense  has  known 
Falls  off,  and  leaves  us  God  alone. 


THE  FINAL  EFFORT. 

BE  strong,  .  .  .  saith  the  Lord,  and  work:  for  I  am  with 
you.  —  Haggai  ii.  4. 

BEHOLD,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will 
dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  him- 
self shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God. 

Revelation  xxi.  3. 

MES.   EDDY'S  counsel  was  that  the  Church 
should  be  in  readiness  for  public  service  the 
last  Sunday  of  the  year  1894,  as  may  be  seen  from 
the  following  letter: 

PLEASANT  VIEW, 
CONCORD,  N.H.,  Dec.  19, 1894. 
CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  DIRECTORS, 
MY  BELOVED  STUDENTS, 

The  day  is  well-nigh  won.  You  will  soon  rest  on 
your  arms.  Thank  God  you  have  been  valiant  sol- 
diers —  loyal  to  the  heart's  core.  "  Who  is  so  great  a 
God  as  our  God?" 

Present  no  contribution-box  Dedication  day. 
When  you  know  the  amount  requisite  and  have  re- 

83 


84:  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

ceived  it  for  finishing  the  church  building,  close  all 
contributions  and  give  public  notice  thereof. 

Hold  your  services  in  the  Mother  Church  Dec.  30, 
1894,  and  dedicate  this  church  Jan.  6th.  The  Bible 
and  "  Science  and  Health  with  Key  to  the  Scrip- 
tures "  shall  henceforth  be  the  Pastor  of  the  Mother 
Church.  This  will  tend  to  spiritualize  thought.  Per- 
sonal preaching  has  more  or  less  of  human  views 
grafted  into  it.  Whereas  the  pure  Word  contains 
only  the  living,  health-giving  Truth. 

With  love,  Mother, 

MARY  BAKER  EDDY. 

To  have  the  building  ready  for  use  by  December 
30,  a  mighty  effort  must  be  made.  Every  part  of 
the  work  must  be  pushed,  and  every  moment  of 
time  utilized.  Even  then,  to  human  sense,  the  task 
seemed  utterly  hopeless.  The  decorating  must  be 
done,  and  platform  and  pulpit  built.  The  gallery 
was  as  yet  hardly  begun;  while  the  vestry,  Mother's 
Room,  vestibules,  Directors'  Room,  and  other  sec- 
tions of  the  edifice,  needed  much  more  labor  than 
seemed  possible  in  ten  days.  Men  must  be  kept  busy 
every  hour  when  work  could  be  done,  day  and  night. 


Pleasant  Wiew. 

Concord  N.H 


THE   FINAL  EFFORT.  85 

"Work  on  the  roof,  tower,  walls,  stairways,  metal 
window-frames,  glass,  plastering,  concrete,  mosaic, 
wood-work,  painting,  marble-work,  wiring  for  elec- 
tric lights,  plumbing,  —  all  must  be  pushed,  and 
no  one  trade  wait  for  another  to  move  out  of  the 
way,  if  the  building  was  to  be  used  in  1894. 

The  marble,  ordered  December  6,  had  not  yet 
reached  Boston.  On  December  15,  there  was  no 
one  part  of  the  Church  really  completed,  except  the 
walls;  and  ventilating  flues  had  yet  to  be  erected  on 
these. 

Every  step,  up  to  this  time,  had  been  made  through 
demonstration  of  Divine  Science,  the  work  of  our 
beloved  Teacher  and  Mother.  Not  a  point  could  be 
carried  without  her  aid;  for  she  alone  could  show 
the  way  —  God's  way  —  and  make  it  possible  to  do 
what  mortal  sense  declared  impossible.  With  this 
knowledge,  those  having  the  work  in  charge  con- 
tinued to  press  on  in  the  face  of  all  seeming  dis- 
couragements, trusting  Love  to  deliver  them,  and 
enable  the  workmen  to  complete  the  building. 


86  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

The  work  on  the  tower  seemed  very  slow.  A 
steam  derrick  had  been  hired  to  lift  the  stone  and 
other  material;  and,  a  few  days  before  the  walls  were 
finished,  the  roofer  tried  to  make  a  bargain  for 
the  use  of  this  derrick  to  raise  the  heavy  iron 
for  the  tower  roof.  The  derrick  was  on  a  plat- 
form at  the  top  of  the  tower;  and,  if  he  could 
have  the  use  of  it,  several  days'  time  would  be  saved, 
that  otherwise  must  be  spent  in  taking  down  this 
derrick,  and  putting  up  another. 

Confusion  seemed  to  rise  up  between  the  men,  and 
they  were  unable  to  come  to  any  agreement  on  the 
matter.  At  this  point  Mrs.  Bates  was  told  of  the 
situation,  and  asked  to  see  what  could  be  done.  She 
went  at  once  in  search  of  the  man  who  controlled  the 
derrick.  He  was  at  the  top  of  the  tower.  Without 
hesitation  she  climbed  up  to  find  him,  though  this 
meant  the  ascent  of  three  ladders,  each  one  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet  long,  set  up  on  loose  planks,  inside 
of  the  tower  wall. 

This   task   was   not    only   accomplished,    but   she 


THE  FINAL  EFFORT.  87 

made  definite  arrangements  with  the  owner  to  let 
the  derrick  for  one  day  to  the  Directors.  The 
roofers  were  then  notified  to  have  their  materials 
ready  on  the  grounds;  and  on  the  appointed  day  all 
the  iron  for  the  frame,  and  the  terra-cotta  blocks, 
were  lifted  to  the  tower  platform,  the  slate  and  cop- 
per being  hauled  up  later  by  hand. 

Mrs.  Bates  also  made  a  second  trip  to  the  bell- 
deck  within  a  few  days,  remaining  there  three 
hours,  in  order  to  settle  a  dispute  between  the  men 
and  keep  them  at  work. 

"With  the  masons  there  had  already  been  some 
trouble,  on  account  of  the  irregularity  of  the  con- 
tractors' payments;  and  now  a  new  difficulty  arose. 
In  addition  to  the  original  contract,  certain  stones 
were  to  be  removed  from  the  top  of  the  tower,  so 
that  the  copper  roof  might  be  laid  on  the  bell-deck, 
and  the  stones  then  were  to  be  put  back  in  place. 
When  the  original  contract  was  finished,  the  masons 
took  out  the  stones  as  agreed,  but  refused  to  replace 
them.  This  was  a  genuine  strike,  for  the  men  stayed 


88  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

around  the  place  two  or  three  days,  not  allowing 
others  to  finish  the  work.  Tired  of  so  thankless  a 
job,  however,  they  soon  retired  from  the  ground,  and 
gave  no  more  trouble. 

The  first  day,  late  in  December,  that  the  terra- 
cotta was  being  laid  in  the  iron  frame  of  the  tower 
roof,  was  very  cold  and  windy,  especially  at  an 
altitude  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  street.  The  Director  who  had  especial  charge 
of  the  building  felt  impelled  to  visit  the  seven  men 
who  were  engaged  in  this  work.  He  accordingly 
climbed  the  three  ladders  inside  the  tower  to  the 
bell-deck,  where  he  saw  swaying  almost  vertically 
above,  in  the  open  belfry,  between  him  and  the 
roof-frame,  a  fourth  ladder.  This  ladder  was  made 
of  two  scantlings  which  had  been  broken  and  patched, 
while  several  of  the  strips  nailed  crosswise  for  steps 
had  been  broken,  and  left  unrepaired.  When  the 
foot  of  this  frail  ladder  was  reached,  seventy-five  feet 
above  the  street,  the  Director's  heart  failed  him, 
and  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  cannot  mount !  "  Of 


NEARING    COMPLETION. 


THE   FINAL  EFFORT.  89 

course  the  workmen  had  used  this  same  means  to 
reach  the  roof;  but  they  knew  by  experience  what 
could  be  done,  and  were  used  to  such  undertakings. 

After  a  moment's  silent  prayer  for  strength  from 
Mind,  he  slowly  began  the  ascent.  According  to 
sense-evidence  the  support  appeared  insufficient  to 
bear  his  weight,  with  the  wind  blowing  so  fiercely 
through  the  arched  openings  of  the  tower;  but  he 
finally  reached  the  roof.  Here  the  wind  blew 
stronger  than  ever,  and  it  seemed  impossible  to  hold 
on,  or  even  think.  Again,  in  silent  prayer  and 
demonstration,  harmony  was  realized,  and  fears  were 
overcome.  The  roofers  were  encouraged,  and  even 
the  wind  seemed  to  be  quieter. 

The  Directors  were  obliged  to  look  after  each  con- 
tractor, to  see  that  he  fulfilled  his  engagements. 
More  than  this,  they  watched  every  workman,  lest,  in 
the  rush,  some  detail  be  slighted  or  hindrance  arise; 
for  well  they  knew,  not  an  hour  could  be  lost. 

The  Italian  mosaic-layers,  of  whom  there  were  sepa- 
rate gangs  for  dados,  floors,  and  borders,  were  perhaps 


90  THE    MOTHER  CHURCH. 

the  most  troublesome  to  deal  with;  because,  as  they 
spoke  but  little  English,  it  was  difficult  to  talk  or 
reason  with  them.  They  were  usually  happy  and 
good-natured,  singing  about  their  work;  but  if  any 
one  of  them  happened  to  be  vexed,  he  and  his  com- 
rades would  threaten  to  leave. 

During  the  process  of  building  a  constant  stream 
of  students  poured  into  the  Church,  and  every  acces- 
sible part  of  the  work  was  visited.  This  never  dis- 
turbed the  mechanics,  except  in  one  instance,  when, 
during  the  last  week  in  December,  some  strangers 
stepped  on  a  piece  of  mosaic  bordering,  just  laid  in 
soft  mortar.  The  work  was  spoiled,  and  the  Italian, 
muttering  something  in  his  own  language,  called  his 
assistant  and  left  the  building,  to  be  seen  no  more 
that  day. 

The  contractor  for  stereo-relief  mouldings,  to  be 
put  on  the  gallery  front  and  cornices,  had  only 
nine  days  for  his  work;  but  he  promised  to  have 
it  done,  or  allow  his  unfinished  mouldings  to  be 
thrown  into  the  street  Another  contract,  remark- 


THE  FINAL  EFFORT.  91 

able  for  the  short  time  in  which  it  was  fulfilled,  waa 
that  for  the  pulpit  and  for  furniture  in  Mother's 
Room,  wherein  the  contractor  agreed  to  have  the 
articles  ready  in  time,  or  forfeit  fifty  dollars  for  every 
day's  delay. 

The  pews  were  to  come  from  Michigan  by  Christ- 
mas; but  the  agent,  seeing  the  condition  of  the 
edifice  in  October,  did  not  believe  they  would  be 
wanted  in  December,  and  inserted  this  clause  in  the 
contract,  "by  December  25th,  or  as  soon  as  the 
church  is  ready."  "When  the  Directors  wrote  to  the 
manufacturers  to  hasten  the  work,  they  replied  that 
the  agent  in  Boston  had  informed  them  that  our 
Church  would  not  be  ready  for  two  months.  The 
Directors  now  saw,  if  the  pews  were  to  be  in 
the  building  by  December,  that  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  send  some  one  to  the  factory,  who  would 
insist  that  the  work  be  finished  and  delivered  ac- 
cording to  agreement. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Neal  was  accordingly  dispatched  to 
Michigan;  and,  when  he  explained  the  situation  to 


92  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

the  manufacturers,  they  put  all  their  force  on  this  one 
job.  Mr.  Neal  remained  until  the  pews  were  made 
ready,  and  then  traced  their  course  to  Boston. 

When  the  agent,  with  the  man  who  came  from  the 
factory  to  set  up  the  pews,  entered  the  auditorium 
on  Friday  before  Christmas,  and  saw  it  full  of  work- 
men and  scaffolding,  they  were  alarmed  for  the  car- 
load of  pews,  which  could  not  be  wisely  left  at  the 
freight-house,  yet  could  not  be  set  up  in  the  Church, 
where  there  was  not  even  room  to  store  them. 

That  night  the  workmen  stayed  until  morning,  and 
students,  both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  came  in  to  help. 
The  whole  network  of  staging  was  taken  down,  the 
rough  covering  removed  from  the  mosaic,  and  the 
floor  washed. 

When  the  Michigan  man  came  in  on  Saturday 
morning,  he  was  astounded  at  the  transformation. 
Even  the  architect,  who  had  watched  the  progress  of 
the  work  so  closely,  said  that  what  had  been  accom- 
plished that  night  seemed  like  a  miracle.  To  make 
room  for  the  seats,  all  the  workmen  had  been  cleared 


THE   FINAL  EFFORT.  93 

out  except  one,  who  was  fitting  the  capitals  on  the 
pillars.  The  pew-agent  refused  to  go  to  work  until 
this  mechanic  was  also  sent  away.  No  time  could 
be  lost  in  controversy,  so  the  other  artisans  were 
recalled.  On  Monday  he  still  refused  to  work,  but 
on  Tuesday  he  began  setting  up  the  pews  while  other 
men  were  busy  in  the  room. 

Tuesday  was  Christmas  Day,  but  the  work  con- 
tinued as  usual. 

In  order  to  have  the  exact  shade  of  plush  desired, 
the  covering  for  the  cushions  had  been  ordered 
directly  from  Lyons,  France;  and  New  York 
upholsterers  had  pledged  themselves  to  have  them 
ready  by  the  middle  of  December.  It  was  learned, 
however,  that  they  had  done  nothing,  and  would  not 
before  January;  so  the  plush  was  brought  to  Boston, 
and  there  the  cushions  were  made  ready  in  season. 

It  had  been  arranged  to  lay  a  sidewalk  around 
the  tower-entrances;  for,  as  the  boiler-room  would 
extend  under  this  part  of  the  walk,  it  was  believed 
the  heat  would  prevent  the  cement  from  freez- 


94r  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

ing.  The  work  waa  begun  Friday,  December  28. 
Saturday  night  it  was  not  yet  finished;  and  the 
weather  had  turned  very  cold,  with  a  strong  wind 
blowing.  There  was  danger  that  the  wet  cement 
would  freeze,  and  it  seemed  impossible  to  continue 
the  work.  The  Directors  hired  a  tent,  and  had  it 
stretched  over  the  walk,  and  fastened  to  the  Church 
wall.  The  big  doors  were  kept  open,  and  all  possible 
heat  secured  from  the  boilers.  The  men  worked 
until  twelve  o'clock,  and  then  watched  in  the  build- 
ing till  morning,  lest  the  canvas  be  blown  down;  but 
no  injury  came,  and  the  sidewalk  was  ready  for  use 
the  next  day. 

The  same  evening  the  Church  was  full  of  students, 
dusting  pews  and  sweeping  floors;  and  exactly  as  the 
clock  struck  twelve,  midnight,  the  auditorium  was 
prepared  for  Sunday.  The  first  meeting,  held 
December  30,  1894,  was  a  communion  service. 

So,  with  the  Mother  encouraging  and  pointing 
the  way,  and  with  Divine  Love  sustaining,  the 
Church  was  built  in  the  appointed  time,  and  the 


THE  FINAL  EFFORT.  95 

following   notices    appeared   in   the   January   issue 
of  the  Christian  Science  Journal: 

NOTICE. 

The  Dedication  Services  of  the  new  building  of  the  Mother 
Church,  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, will  be  held  on  the  first  Sunday  in  January,  the 
sixth,  1895.  An  address  from  our  former  Pastor,  the  Rev. 
Mary  Baker  Eddy,  will  be  read,  but  she  will  not  be  present 
at  these  services. 

CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS. 

A  Card  from  Mr.  Chase. 

As  Treasurer  of  the  Christian  Science  Board  of  Directors, 
I  hereby  return  sincere  thanks  to  all  the  donors  to  the 
Church-building  Fund  of  the  Mother  Church,  for  their  most 
generous  contributions,  and  their  prompt  responses  to  all 
calls  sent  out.  There  are  ample  funds  now  in  my  hands  to 
meet  all  obligations,  and  all  contributions  should  cease  after 
January  6,  1895,  as  none  can  be  received  which  were  not  sub- 
scribed prior  to  that  date. 

STEPHEN  A.  CHASE,  Treasurer. 

The  last  card  suggests  the  following  incident  from 
Biblical  history: 

And  they  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  The  people  bring 
much  more  than  enough  for  the  service  of  the  work,  which 


96  THE    MOTHER   CHURCH. 

the  Lord  commanded  to  make.  And  Moses  gave  command- 
ment, and  they  caused  it  to  be  proclaimed  throughout  the 
camp,  saying,  Let  neither  man  nor  woman  make  any  more 
work  for  the  offering  of  the  sanctuary.  So  the  people  were 
restrained  from  bringing.  For  the  stuff  they  had  was  suffi- 
cient for  all  the  work  to  make  it,  and  too  much. 

Exodus  xxxvi.  5-7* 


CONCLUSION. 

LET  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter:  Feat 
God,  and  keep  his  commandments :  for  this  is  the  whole  duty 
Of  man.  —  Ecclesiastes  xii.  13. 

TO  human  and  material  sense,  and  according 
to  the  evidence  cognizable  thereby,  man 
is  wholly  material,  with  but  a  vague  perception,  if 
any  at  all,  of  Spirit  and  spiritual  law.  The  aim  of 
Christian  Science  is  to  show  mortals  the  way  out  of 
this  false,  and  therefore  unreal,  condition.  Sci- 
ence must  control  every  human  experience,  until  all 
is  brought  into  complete  subjection  to  Spirit. 

Mortals  allow  this  control,  and  yield  to  God's  gov- 
ernment, only  as  they  are  driven  to  distrust  and  doubt 
the  evidence  of  the  material  senses,  thus  becoming 
willing  to  abandon  those  senses,  and  accept  and 
adopt  the  evidence  of  Spirit.  This  usually  comes 
through  suffering.  First,  we  allow  Christian  Sci- 

97 


98  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

ence  to  heal  us  of  physical  pain;  then,  when  we 
have  learned  something  of  its  teachings,  our  old 
theology  begins  to  disappear.  As  false  theories 
about  God  and  man  are  dispelled  through  under- 
standing what  God  is,  and  man's  relation  to  Him, 
we  begin  to  see  the  true  nature  of  sin,  and  how  to 
overcome  its  claims. 

To  say  that  we  see  this  to  be  true,  and  accept  it  as 
a  theory,  is  not  enough.  It  must  be  proven  by  dem- 
onstration ;  and  this  demonstration  must  be  that  which 
will  reach  the  human  consciousness  on  the  plane  of 
its  own  experiences..  If  a  man  is  in  a  pit  a  hundred 
feet  deep,  a  rope  ninety  feet  long,  though  held  above 
by  strong  and  loving  hands,  can  be  of  no  practical 
benefit  to  him.  This  illustrates  the  impotence  of 
theories  in  regard  to  an  unknown  God  and  a  far- 
away Heaven,  only  to  be  obtained  through  death 
and  a  personal  Saviour. 

So,  in  the  history  of  the  spiritualization  of  hu- 
man consciousness,  the  thought  of  Church  must  be 
discerned  spiritually,  and  yet  so  manifested  that 


CONCLUSION.  99 

it  can  be  recognized  by  mortals.  Christian  Science 
has  proven  itself  a  healer  of  the  sick,  and  now 
it  must  show  itself  the  destroyer  of  false  theorems 
and  sin. 

When  the  Children  of  Israel  started  for  the  prom- 
ised land,  no  doubt  they  expected  to  have  an  easy 
time,  as  soon  as  they  had  turned  their  backs  on  their 
enemies;  but  in  a  very  short  time  they  found 
themselves  pursued  by  their  foes,  and  further 
progress  cut  off  by  barriers  seemingly  insurmount- 
able. Moses,  reflecting  more  of  God  than  hia 
countrymen,  bade  them,  "  Stand  still,  and  see  the 
salvation  of  the  Lord!  "  That  is,  they  were  to  see  a 
demonstration  of  the  power  of  Mind  over  matter,  of 
Truth  over  error. 

In  building  the  Mother  Church,  to  stand  as 
a  symbol  of  all  the  teachings  of  Christian  Sci- 
ence, and  of  all  that  Christianity  implies,  the 
Directors  found  themselves  in  a  position  similar  to 
that  of  the  Israelites,  when  behind  them  was 
Pharaoh's  army,  and  in  front  of  them  the  Red 
Sea. 


100  THE   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

A  great  struggle  was  inevitable.  Every  ma- 
terial help  was  withheld,  until  Divine  Love  was 
sufficiently  reflected  to  meet  the  opposing  error  in 
all  its  various  forms,  and  turn  the  scale  on  the  side 
of  God  and  His  government.  The  spirituality  and 
divinity  of  Christian  Science  is  proven,  when  we 
learn  that  it  is  opposed  by  all  materiality. 

A  few  thousand  dollars  were  raised  by  great 
human  effort,  and  land  on  which  to  erect  a  building 
purchased;  but  as  the  money  was  lost,  and  the 
lot  about  to  be  sold  under  foreclosure  of  mortgage, 
failure  seemed  inevitable.  Yet  this  was  not  true. 
The  one  chosen  of  God  to  lead  mortals  out  of 
this  dream  of  sin  and  death  was  not  forsaken,  but 
was  shown  the  way  to  save  the  land  by  herself 
paying  the  cost,  thus  bringing  victory  out  of  seeming 
defeat. 

Again,  money  was  solicited  from  the  students  to 
build  a  Church  on  this  same  lot,  now  in  the 
hands  of  trustees  for  this  purpose.  As  soon  as 
enough  money  was  received  so  that  the  work  might 


CONCLUSION.  101 

have  been  begun,  a  question  arose  which  checked 
further  progress  in  this  direction.  Once  more  error 
was  defeated;  the  lot  was  deeded  to  another  Board, 
under  new  and  wiser  provisions,  and  the  money  re- 
turned to  a  new  Treasurer. 

Then  came  the  announcement  that  the  building 
should  be  finished  in  1894,  and  the  awful  struggle 
—  that  is,  awful  to  human  sense  —  began.  Every 
step  must  be  demonstrated.  Error  was,  or  seemed  to 
be,  in  possession,  and  would  only  yield  as  Truth  and 
Love  were  manifested.  Every  law  of  matter  seemed 
opposed.  There  was  lack  of  means,  time  was  pass- 
ing, and  every  human  effort  proved  ineffective. 
November  came  and  found  no  roof  on  the  build- 
ing, the  walls  unfinished,  and  snow  already  on 
the  ground.  There  were  even  no  suitable  plans  for 
interior  finish,  and  but  two  months  in  which  to  com- 
plete work  that  all  agreed  would  require  at  least 
six.  Yet  these  difficulties,  so  insurmountable  to  the 
human  sense,  were  as  nothing  when  weighed  in  the 
balance  with  the  unchanging  demand  of  Love,  that 
the  work  should  be  finished  within  the  time  specified. 


102  THE   MOTHER  CHURCH. 

It  might  be  asked  in  this  case,  as  in  that  of  the 
Children  of  Israel:  Did  God  plan  that  these  innocent 
and  confiding  people  should  come  into  such  difficul- 
ties, merely  to  show  His  power  in  leading  them  out? 
This  could  never  be  true  of  divine  Wisdom. 

The  truth  is,  that  as  mortals  learn  something  of  the 
nature  of  evil,  and  make  efforts  to  overcome  it, 
they  are  then  met  by  its  different  forms,  resisting  the 
demands  of  Good.  Then  evil  shows  its  true  nature, 
by  claiming  to  be  something,  when  it  is  really  noth- 
ing. The  building  of  this  Church  was  to  be  t  tri- 
umph for  Divine  Love;  and  every  material  means 
and  human  dependence  must  fail,  for  human  sense 
must  "  Stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord." 

Nothing  but  the  hand  of  Divine  Wisdom  could 
have  guided  and  upheld  those  entrusted  with  this 
responsibility  through  such  a  trial  of  faith  as  thig 
was.  Neither  could  they  have  had  this  divine 
assistance,  but  for  the  nearness  to  God  of  the 
Mother  in  Israel,  which  gave  her  counsel  to  reflect 
the  one  omnipotent  Mind  to  those  charged  with  thi* 
great  work  for  God  and  humanity. 


CONCLUSION.  103 

It  was  a  victory  for  Christian  Science,  a  victory 
in  which  every  claim  of  error  was  met  and  over- 
come. Something  was  accomplished  which  must 
be  accepted  by  mortals  as  a  part  of  the  world's 
history.  The  fair  and  impartial  accounts  of  the 
Church,  given  by  the  press  at  the  time  of  the  Dedica- 
tion, illustrate  this  point.  Just  as  a  large  part  of 
mankind  have  accepted  the  lives  of  Jesus  and  his 
Apostles  as  historic  facts,  however  little  this  may 
affect  their  own  living,  just  as  proofs  of  astro- 
nomical facts,  reversing  the  evidence  of  the  senses, 
are  universally  undenied,  —  so  the  erection  of  this 
Church  is  so  great  a  demonstration  of  Christianity 
and  Science  as  to  leave  on  the  world's  thought  an 
indelible  mark,  which  must  be  given  a  place  in  its 
history. 

Only  future  ages  can  fully  appreciate  and  under- 
stand the  mighty  triumph  of  Good  over  evil,  of 
Spirit  over  matter,  manifested  in  the  circumstances 
connected  with  the  successful  erection  of  this  beauti- 
ful building,  as  given  in  this  historical  sketch  of  the 
Mother  Church  in  Boston. 


THE  FINANCIAL  QUESTION  IN  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 

FROM  my  earliest  recollection  when  reading  the 
Bible  stories  of  the  Patriarchs,  their  success  in 
accumulating  an  abundance  of  this  world's  goods  was 
a  source  of  wonder  and  speculation  as  to  the  reason 
of  their  being  thus  specially  favored.  Since  gaining 
some  knowledge  of  Christian  Science,  I  have  learned 
that  it  was  not  because  they  were  specially  favored  by 
a  personal  God,  but  because  of  their  better  acquaint- 
ance with  and  consciousness  of  true  relationship  to 
the  one  true  God.  This  was  beautifully  illustrated 
in  the  incident  recorded  when  Elisha  fed  the  vast 
number  of  people  with  the  barley  loaves  and  full  ears 
of  corn,  and  all  did  eat  and  much  remained  thereof 
(II.  Kings  iv.  42,  43). 

In  metaphysics  we  learn  that  the  human  mind  is 
an  idolater,  attributing  all  cause  and  effect  and  all 
law  to  matter,  thus  enthroning  matter  as  God,  and 

seeming  to  expect  thereby  to  shirk  all  responsibility 

104 


THE  FINANCIAL  QUESTION.  105 

for  its  own  falsity.  The  human  mind  claims  these 
laws  of  matter  can  cause  man  to  be  sick  and  die.  It 
has  made  money  to  be  the  standard  and  to  de- 
termine the  value  of  all  things.  Paul  says,  "  the  love 
of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil"  (I.  Tim.  vi.  10), 
meaning  thereby  that  one  who  accepts  this  standard 
of  values  partakes  of  the  very  essence  of  mortal 
mind  delusion. 

It  is  often  said  of  Jesus  that  he  was  poor  so  far 
as  material  goods  were  concerned.  But  was  this  true  ? 
He  said  of  himself,  "  Foxes  have  holes,  and  birds  of  the 
air  have  nests;  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay 
his  head"  (Lu.  ix.  58).  No  doubt  Jesus  saw  that 
that  sensuous  age  in  which  he  lived  would  not  receive 
his  teachings.  Even  those  he  selected  as  students 
were  not  ready  to  receive  all  of  his  teachings.  He 
said,  "  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but 
ye  cannot  bear  them  now "  (John  xvi.  12).  And 
for  this  reason  he  could  impart  his  knowledge  of  God 
to  but  a  few  humble  followers.  The  final  establish- 
ment of  his  teaching  must  come  at  a  later  period 
when  the  world  would  be  more  ready  to  receive  it. 


106  THE  MOTHER  CHURCH. 

Although  he  recognized  the  inability  of  his  students 
to  receive  all  of  his  teachings,  he  knew  the  time  was 
coming  when  they  would  be  received  and  understood ; 
hence  he  promised  the  Comforter  that  should  lead  into 
all  truth.  This  seems  to  me  a  reasonable  explanation 
of  why  our  beloved  Master  went  about  "  preaching  the 
gospel,  and  healing  the  sick"  (Lu.  ix.  6),  rather 
than  establishing  himself  in  a  local  habitation.  But 
we  cannot  believe  this  Man  of  God  who  wore  the 
beautiful  seamless  garment,  unto  whom  many  wealthy 
people  freely  gave  of  their  substance  out  of  gratitude 
for  the  healing  he  had  done  for  them,  ever  really  lacked 
the  material  needs  and  comforts ;  to  say  nothing  of 
his  ability  to  feed  the  multitudes  as  recorded  of  him 
(Matt.  xiv.  17-20). 

In  Christian  Science  we  learn  that  Spirit  is  substance 
and  alone  has  value,  or  can  give  value.  We  reflect  this 
value  in  proportion  as  we  understand  and  reflect  Spirit. 
We  are  enabled  to  rob  matter  of  its  claims  of  power 
and  to  see  and  handle  it  as  a  mere  belief  or  delusion. 
This  is  what  I  understand  is  meant  by  establishing 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness. 


THE  FINANCIAL  QUESTION.  107 

When  the  writer  first  became  interested  in  Christian 
Science  he  lost  all  interest  in  business  the  object  of 
which  was  money  making.  He  did  not  understand 
the  reason  for  this  at  that  time,  but  subsequent  ex- 
perience and  his  growth  in  Christian  Science  has 
taught  him  that  the  only  real  value  is  Spirit  —  God; 
that  when  we  reflect  the  true  substance  in  our  daily 
lives,  our  daily  needs  both  temporal  and  spiritual  will 
be  bountifully  supplied.  Christian  Science  is  this 
Comforter  and  has  come  through  the  revelations  of 
our  beloved  Leader,  Mary  Baker  G.  Eddy. 

This  chapter  is  written,  not  for  those  Scientists 
who  have  learned  by  their  own  experience  and  growth 
in  Christian  Science  how  to  meet  this  question,  but 
with  a  hope  that  it  may  help  those  who  must  come  face 
to  face  with  this  problem  of  finance  which  has  caused 
young  students  so  many  bitter  struggles. 


Written,  December  1,  1907. 


THE  EXTENSION. 


87 
•I 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


A    001  033  031     4 


